Screenshot from YouTube. A video released from the Broward County Sheriff’s office shows then-Deputy Scot Peterson standing around and doing nothing as the shooting at Majorie Douglas High School was ongoing.
The 27-minute long video, taken from a camera on campus, shows Peterson running to a position outside the building where the shooting occurred, and just stayed there while brandishing his gun.
Audio is not included in the video, but the Broward County Sheriff’s office released recordings of radio dispatches last week revealing that Peterson clearly stating that the gunshots were occurring inside and that officers should not go inside.
The sheriff’s office issued a statement that read, “The video speaks for itself. His actions were enough to warrant an internal affairs investigation, as requested by Sheriff Scott Israel on Feb. 21. After being suspended without pay, Peterson chose to resign and immediately retired rather than face possible termination.”
Peterson’s attorney did not answer a request for comment from The Washington Post.
Judicial Watch obtained documents detailing the Broward County Sheriff Office’s training procedures, and they state that in the event of a mass shooting, “the first officer or two officers on scene will immediately go to confront the shooter.”
Should four officers be present, they need to form a “diamond formation” and confront the shooter.
“With the quad, the first four officers to respond entered the building with coverage in all directions,” the documents state. “This was critical to address the concerns of officers who previously would not enter and just wait for SWAT.”
The procedures also emphasized that “time was critical” and that the shooter should be confronted as soon as possible.
Including Peterson, there were indeed four officers present at the shooting, and Peterson told them not to enter the building.
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