MIAMI — The former sheriff’s deputy who’s been called a coward for his actions during a mass shooting at a Florida high school says he’s haunted by what happened. Scot Peterson told NBC’s “Today Show” in a segment aired Tuesday that “those were my kids in there” and he “would have never let my kids get slaughtered.”
Peterson says events unfolded so fast that “there was no time” to intervene. The gunman entered Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School at 2:21 p.m. and began firing. He left six minutes later.
Former student Nikolas Cruz has been charged with killing 17 in the Feb. 14 attack.
Peterson said he thought gunshots were coming from a sniper, not an “active shooter inside.”
Peterson retired from the Broward Sheriff’s Office after surveillance video showed him outside the building where the shooting occurred. Peterson radioed the sheriff’s office with a warning.
“Be advised we have possible — could be firecrackers — I think we have shots fired, possible shots fired,” he said.
Seconds later, he was seen running before he stopped to radio dispatch another time.
“Make sure we get some units over here, I need to shut down Stoneman Douglas,” Peterson said.
But during the shooting, Peterson never entered the building.
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel condemned Peterson’s actions, saying he should have gone inside.
Parents of the victims were outraged by Peterson’s latest comments. Fred Guttenberg’s daughter Jaime was killed on the third floor, toward the end of the shooting. He believes if Peterson had entered the building, his daughter would likely be alive today, CBS Miami reports.
“They are not his kids,” Guttenberg said. “He didn’t go to a single funeral. He has not mourned a single child. He has not missed a single kids birthday. He is not going to miss Father’s Day. He didn’t miss Mother’s day. He isn’t missing holidays. How dare he refer to them as his kids. They are not his kids. They are his victims.”
In an article in the Washington Post, Peterson claims that he did his job that day, calling for backup, clearing the courtyard, locking down the school.
“He’s trying to turn himself into a victim,” Guttenberg said. “He’s not a victim. He creates victims. My daughter was one of his victims. She was on the third floor. If he did his job she would be alive today.”
Last month, the father of Meadow Pollack, a student killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, filed a lawsuit accusing several people of enabling the killer. But he also placed blame at Peterson. In the lawsuit, Andrew Pollack’s lawyers say Peterson, who was armed, failed to confront the threat.
“Scot Peterson is a coward,” the lawsuit says.
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