Dear President and Governor Scott, There was a law enforcement officer with a gun at the scene of the High School in Parkland, Florida mass shooting on February 14, 2018 who didn’t act and who resigned as a consequence.
The solution is not more guns in the school system. The reality is that a gun in most hands would have been of little use in a crowded school of 3,000+ students with several buildings where there is bedlam and chaos abounding and when confronting a killing machine like the AR15.
Question: Would either the president or Governor Scott with their guns drawn have confronted a shooter with an AR15 in a crowded school with screaming kids running and hiding in a war zone type setting?
Here is the rest story…
On February 23, 2018, Stephen Hobbs, Scott Travis and Lisa J Huriash of the Sun Sentinel penned the following report, “Stoneman Douglas cop resigns; sheriff says he should have ‘killed the killer’
Excerpts:
“The police officer assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School resigned Thursday, under investigation for failing to enter the building as a gunman opened fire and killed 17 people.”
“Sheriff Scott Israel said Deputy Scot Peterson should have “went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer.” Video footage showed Peterson did none of that, Israel said.”
“The sheriff’s office also said Thursday that two deputies were put under investigation for how they handled potential warnings about Cruz, including one from November in which a caller said Nikolas Cruz “could be a school shooter in the making.”
“Peterson, 54, came under scrutiny after 19-year-old Cruz entered a school building with an AR-15 rifle and killed 14 students and three educators on Valentine’s Day. Cruz later confessed, police said.”
“The sheriff said video shows Peterson was outside the building for “upwards of four minutes” while students were gunned down inside.”
“What I saw was a deputy arrive … take up a position and he never went in,” the sheriff said at a news conference. “There are no words. I mean these families lost their children. We lost coaches,” Israel said.”
“Peterson resigned, and subsequently retired, at 12:37 p.m. Thursday after he was suspended without pay earlier in the day, Israel said. An investigation into what happened will continue.”
“Peterson’s resignation ends a more than three-decade career with the agency, where he was often regarded by peers as a dependable employee who could communicate well with both staff and students.”
“Peterson had been a school resource officer at Stoneman Douglas since 2009. He was considered a trusted officer who “values his position and takes pride in protecting the students, faculty and staff at his school,” a 2017 performance review said.”
His annual salary in 2016 was $75,673.72, according to sheriff’s office records, but he made $101,013 that year with overtime and other compensation. Peterson has been the subject of two internal investigations, neither of which resulted in significant discipline.
Soon after the shooting took place, Israel and Broward Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie were forced to answer questions about where Peterson was during the shooting and why he did not confront Cruz.
“I’m in shock and I’m outraged to no end that he could have made a difference in all this,” Runcie said Thursday. “It’s really disturbing that we had a law enforcement individual there specifically for this reason, and he did not engage. He did not do his job. It’s one of the most unbelievable things I’ve ever heard.”
Stoneman Douglas student Brandon Huff, 18, a senior, said he had seen Peterson standing outside the building and talking on his radio during the shooting.
Huff said he first learned of the shooting in a text message from his girlfriend, who said she was hiding in a corner and shots rang out.
“Two coaches went in and were shielding kids and throwing themselves in front of bullets and he did nothing.”
“Peterson could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon at his home in Boynton Beach. Neighbor Nelson Sandy said he saw Peterson leave his house around 3 p.m., driving his work vehicle and accompanied by at least two Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputies driving their work vehicles.”
“Felicia Burgin, a ninth-grade English teacher, was locked in her classroom with students on the second floor of the building, as they heard shots from the floor above.”
“She said the criticism of Peterson is unfair. Peterson wouldn’t have stood a chance against the gunman in hallways that were filled with students at the time, she said.”
“There is no one that is going to tell you a negative thing about Deputy Peterson,” she said. “He was an Eagle and he was committed to our school. I don’t know what he could have done other than literally died.”
“The two deputies, Edward Eason and Guntis Treijs, were put on a restricted assignment Thursday.”
“Col. Jack Dale, head of the agency’s internal investigations unit, said the deputies were under review for how they handled two calls, including the one from November where the caller also said Cruz “was collecting guns and knives,” according to documents released by the sheriff’s office. A deputy followed up with the caller but did not create a report documenting it.”
“A separate incident, from February 2016, was also under review. The sheriff’s office said a deputy responded to a tip that Cruz planned to shoot up a school and that the information was forwarded to Peterson, the school resource officer.”
“Israel said the agency was involved in 23 calls involving Cruz or his brother Zachary since 2008.”
“Eason started with the agency in 2000 and Treijs in 2002, according to state records. Both will be paid during the investigation.”
“The reports to the sheriff’s office are the latest acknowledgment from officials that there were concerns about Cruz before last week’s shooting. The FBI said it did not investigate a tip involving Cruz, from January, and in another case said it was alerted in September about a YouTube comment that could have led to Cruz.”
“It’s unclear as to whether a policy violation occurred or not, so we feel at this point that they deserve extra scrutiny and to be reviewed and investigated,” Dale said.”
Gronda Morin 
The deputy certainly was paid well enough. Why didn’t he call for backup, at least go inside and report the ongoing situation. Perhaps he simply froze from fear.
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Dear 1EarthUnited,
His doing nothing was not an option. He should have better been prepared and like you said, at least called in for back up. Going in without a sense of where the shooter was located would not have been smart. He should have planned for a way to get in the building so he could figure out the location of the shooter so that he could take action. He was there to act in this kind of situation and he wasn’t prepared.
Hugs, Gronda
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Dear Mz. Gronda,
While it is popular to condemn Deputy Peterson for his alleged lack of action, is it realistic? In the article it is noted he was observed taking a position (?) and was seen talking on his radio, was he perhaps reporting the incident and waiting for back up? For those of you that say he should have rushed into the school and taken action, let’s stop and ask ourselves what would you have done? Would you have grabbed your gun and charged into the school and confronted the person with the rifle? If you say yes, I must ask you how you know that, have you ever in your life been involved in an armed conflict? I was not there, and I have been in a combat situation where bullets were flying and I will be honest, I would have probably not have gone in until I had a pretty good idea where the shooter was! I will again be honest and say this, taking a 9mm Glock into battle against a 223 cal rifle is like taking a stick to a gun fight, not very smart! The next thing you need to think about is the number of dead that could have resulted from his going in and facing off with the shooter. How many students could he possibly hit in an effort to take out the shooter, remember reading in the article that the halls were crowded with students? Every round that Peterson discharged would have gone somewhere, can you say that round would not have struck a student? I’m going to add something that I found on the web that might make you understand my point, at least to a small degree.
“”Shooting at long range is incredibly difficult. The pistol is the most difficult to master and the bullets are very slow so they tend to arc a lot at long range.
We need to differentiate lethality and effectiveness. Bullets can be lethal for many hundreds, even thousands of yards. but at very long distances, the human size target is going to be smaller than the front sight post, so accuracy is impossible and you are just lobbing rounds out there hoping to hit something.
The average shooter cannot hit a paper plate 7 out of 10 times at 25 meters, much less at 50 or 100. Trying to get a 50% hit rate at being 100 meter with a handgun is world class shooting. “”
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@Crusty
While it’s true the deputy did not have the advantage of hindsight, there may have been multiple shooters and he would need to assess the situation correctly. Still, waiting 4 minutes while doing nothing is excruciatingly disappointing.
I would take up a position outside, call for backup which is Standard Operational Procedure, probably what the deputy did, then observe/ listen.
If the shooting was getting louder (gunman approaching), I’d stay low and try to take out the shooter outside from a strategic position. If the shooting seemed distant, I would approach cautiously and try to determine the position of the shooter, so at least I can relay this critical piece of information to my backup team.
I’m sure crucial time had been wasted b/c due to the deputy’s inaction. As noted in story when SWAT finally arrived, they cornered the wrong kid, while Cruz had already left the scene.
I’m not saying the deputy should bust in with guns blazing, that would be irresponsible with a school full of panicking kids running for their lives. But at least assist with the evacuation and take charge, without engaging the gunman. Do something for Christ sake!
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Dear Crustyolemothman,
I’m with you to a certain extent. I would like to know more about what happened before I pass further judgment. No, I don’t know enough and his superior’s quick act to judge may not be fair.
I hope that the officer gets a lawyer if he is being unfairly portrayed, so that he can present his side of the story.
We don’t know enough.
Hugs, Gronda
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It’s looking bad to worse for Broward County police dept. A report released Friday claims four of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel’s deputies waited outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School while the attack was occurring, according to CNN.
Now CNN reports that the Coral Springs police officers claim three other Broward County deputies were outside the school but failed to go inside as well. They quote “Coral Springs sources” who said the three “deputies had their pistols drawn and were behind their vehicles” when Coral Springs officers arrived. They said “not one of [the deputies] had gone into the school.”
The sources indicate other Broward County deputies arrived on scene, and two of those new arrivals joined with Coral Springs officers and entered the building.
The sources said, “Coral Springs police were stunned and upset that the four original Broward County Sheriff’s deputies who were first on the scene did not appear to join them as they entered the school.”
Coral Springs Police Department public information officer Sgt. Carla Kmiotek would not comment on what Broward County deputies did or did not do. Rather, “The Coral Springs Police Department will speak on behalf of our officers and their response in that incident,” she said. “We will not speak on behalf of Broward Sheriff’s deputies and their response to the incident.”
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/02/23/report-four-sheriff-scott-israels-deputies-waited-outside-douglas-high-school-shooting/
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Dear !EarthUnited,
I don’t consider Beitbart a reliable source. But in all fairness, I have reviewed a number of reports. This is a case where I would prefer outside law enforcement experts to do an investigation and analysis of exactly what happened when.
One of the problems that I have noticed was the lack of communication. Officers did not know that the shooter had left the school. When the SWAT team entered, they targeted the wrong kid.
There needs to be more facts forthcoming.
Hugs, Gronda
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I’m sure more facts are forthcoming. Brietbart is sensationalistic in their reporting, and right leaning, but they somehow get the story out first. In this story, their source was CNN which is mainstream news.
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Dear Crustyolemothman,
What troubles me that there was not a plan in place. The video or whatever they used had a twenty minute delay feature. So when the police finally entered they thought the shooter was present when he was long gone.
There should have been a video showing real time activity and the location of the shooter.There should have been a way to communicate with those inside.
This resource officer failed to act but so did Broward County officers who showed up. It wasn’t until Coral Springs officers went in that the Broward officers joined them. Then they targeted the wrong kid.
This police response and the school’s readiness for an attack earn an F grade from me.
If I were the governor, I would order a comprehensive investigation, but this is not likely.
Hugs, Gronda
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I suspect when all is said and done the authorities will be more than happy to find just a few scapegoats of minor status and blame everything on them, while various NRA affiliates will puff out their chest and say just ‘what they would have done had they been there’.
A bit like executing poorly trained soldiers at random for failing to press home in a badly planned battle.
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