Armed Campus Cop ‘Never Went In’ To Stop Florida School Massacre
Feb. 23 2018, Published 1:11 p.m. ET
The armed campus cop charged with protecting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida failed to protect students after crazed gunman Nikolas Cruz opened fire, killing 17 students, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputy Scot Peterson, 54, took cover and “never went in” to the Parkland school while it was under assault, even though he carried a handgun and it was his job to follow established police procedure, said Sheriff Scott Israel.
Israel added that Peterson’s lack of action over the course of four crucial minutes left him “devastated” and “sick to my stomach.”
It was Peterson’s duty, blasted the sheriff, to have “gone in, addressed the killer and killed the killer.”
However, Peterson “believed he did a good job calling in the location, setting up the perimeter and calling in the description of Cruz,” said Jim Bell, president of the Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association.
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Still, Bell noted, “We have to act, even if that means risking our lives to save many, many more lives. I would demand that from our union members. You’re listening to an execution every time you hear the rifle shot.”
Peterson, a 33-year vet, resigned on Feb. 22 in the wake of the shooting that shocked the nation and sparked anew controversy over whether or not teachers should be armed.
As RadarOnline.com reported, 19-year-old Cruz murdered 14 children and three adults at his former high school.
Cruz had a history of violence before his horrific actions on Valentine’s Day, including making threats to shoot dead the 17-year-old who began dating his ex-girlfriend.
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