[ad_1]

A former Florida sheriff’s deputy has been arrested on felony charges over his handling of the deadly mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland last year.

Interested in Parkland school shooting?

Add Parkland school shooting as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Parkland school shooting news, video, and analysis from ABC News.

Broward County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Scot Peterson, 56, was terminated from his position and charged with multiple counts of child neglect on Tuesday after an internal investigation found that he retreated while students were under attack in the February 2018 shooting, that left 17 people dead.

Internal investigators claimed Peterson “did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting,” according to a statement. He faces seven counts of neglect of a child, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury.

PHOTO: Scot Peterson is seen in this undated police handout from the Broward County Sheriffs Office.Broward County Sheriffs Office
Scot Peterson is seen in this undated police handout from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
PHOTO: Then-Broward County Sheriffs Deputy Scot Peterson, who was assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the Feb. 14, 2018 shooting, is seen in this still image captured from the school surveillance video released, March 15, 2018.Broward County Sheriffs Office/Reuters
Then-Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, who was assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the Feb. 14, 2018 shooting, is seen in this still image captured from the school surveillance video released, March 15, 2018.

“We cannot fulfill our commitment to always protect the security and safety of our Broward County community without doing a thorough assessment of what went wrong that day,” Broward County Interim Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement. “The Broward Sheriff’s Office and our first responders are now better prepared and trained to respond to an active shooter crisis.”

The office announced Peterson’s arrest along with the termination of BSO sergeant Brian Miller. It said both officers had “neglected their duties” in the deadly shooting.

PHOTO: Students hold their hands in the air as they are evacuated by police from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., after a shooter opened fire on the campus, Feb 14, 2018.Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, FILE
Students hold their hands in the air as they are evacuated by police from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., after a shooter opened fire on the campus, Feb 14, 2018.

“They have been terminated and will no longer be privileged to serve as law enforcement deputies for the Broward Sheriff’s Office,” the statement said. “We have enhanced our active shooter response protocol, increased our training staff, introduced essential equipment, established training partnerships with federal organizations and are building a regional training center.”

[ad_2]

Source link