New questions after sheriff says Parkland armed guard never went inside

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — New questions are being raised about whether the gunman in the Florida school shooting could have been stopped. Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said Thursday that armed security officer Scot Peterson had a chance to stop the shooting and did not. Video at the scene showed he never went inside. 

Seventeen people were killed. Fourteen others were injured. 

The deputy has now resigned. 

Documents released by the sheriff’s office show that the school resource officer had information about the suspect and his “potential to carry out a school shooting two years before it happened.” But it’s his actions the day of the shooting that led to his suspension. 

CBS News

“What I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of Building 12, take up a position and he never went in,” Israel said.

Surveillance video showed Peterson arriving at the building where the shooting happened about a minute after the first shots rang out, but he never entered during the more than four minutes the shooting continued. 

“When we in law enforcement arrive at an active shooter, we go in and address the target and that’s what should have been done,” Israel said. 

Peterson was suspended without pay, but chose to take an early retirement.  

“There are no words. I mean, these families lost their children. We lost coaches,” Israel said. “I’ve been to the funerals, I’ve been to sit Shiva. There are no words.” 

There was also a 20 minute delay in the school’s video surveillance system that caused confusion for deputies who did go in to confront the shooter, making the information received on their radios inaccurate, though police say that did not endanger more lives. 

Two other deputies are on restricted duty during an internal review of whether they did enough after receiving warnings about shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz.