The former Parkland, Fla., resource officer accused of failing to confront the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter who killed 14 students and three staff members in 2018 has been found not guilty of all charges.
Scot Peterson, 60, was charged in 2019 with multiple counts of child neglect after an internal investigation found he withdrew while students were under attack. Prosecutors accused Peterson, a 30-year veteran of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, of making a false statement, claiming he didn’t hear shots.
Scot Peterson reacts to the verdict in the courtroom on June 29, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Peterson could be seen sobbing with his head on the table after the judge read the verdicts.
Peterson, who was fired after the investigation’s report was released, had pleaded not guilty.
After the verdict, Peterson told reporters that the only person to blame for the tragedy was “that monster,” referring to the gunman.
“In any type of incident, do your due diligence and look at the facts,” Peterson said.
Kristen Gomes, an assistant attorney for the Broward County state’s attorney’s office, said during closing arguments that Peterson did nothing to seek out the shooter and confront him.
“When the defendant ran, he left behind an unrestrained killer who spent the next four minutes and 15 seconds roaming the halls at will. Because when Scot Peterson ran, he left them in a building with an unrestrained predator “, he said.
Former MSD school resource officer Scot Peterson sits at the defense table during closing arguments in his trial June 26, 2023, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Mark Eiglarsh, Peterson’s attorney, argued that his client was being made a “sacrificial lamb.” Eiglarsh said in closing arguments that Peterson was unable to pinpoint where the shots were coming from and neither were several other students and faculty.
“He did everything he could,” Eiglarsh told reporters after the verdict.
Peterson faced up to 95 years in state prison and the loss of his pension if convicted on all charges.
When asked if Peterson was considering a civil case against the police, Eiglarsh declined to answer.
“We will look at everything after the fact,” he said.
Linda Beigel Schulman, the mother of slain Parkland teacher Scott Beigel, criticized Peterson for telling reporters that he got his life back together after the verdict.
“Well bravo for getting your life back, I can’t get my son’s life back,” she told ABC News Live.
Scot Peterson reacts to the verdict in the courtroom on June 29, 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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Beigel Schulman said that while the jury found Peterson not legally responsible for the deaths, she found him morally responsible for her son’s murder.
Peterson told reporters he was open to talking to the victim’s relatives, but Beigel Schulman said it was an offer she would not accept.
“I will not speak to him and I absolve him of his moral guilt,” he said. “No way.”
The gunman, Nikolas Cruz, a former student at the high school, was sentenced to life in prison last year after pleading guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. first degree
ABC News’ Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.
