PARKLAND, Fla. — The school resource officer working at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School the day 17 people were shot and killed is facing child neglect charges, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Scot Peterson, 56, is facing seven counts of child neglect, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury in relation to his response to the shooting, the FDLE said.
“The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,” said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen in a news release. “There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives.”
Peterson was arrested after a 15-month investigation into the actions of law enforcement following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
The investigation shows Peterson refused to investigate the source of gunshots, retreated during the active shooting while victims were being shot and directed other law enforcement who arrived on scene to remain 500 feet away from the building, according to the FDLE.
The case was investigated with the Broward State Attorney’s Office under the direction of Broward State Attorney Mike Satz.
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