info
Google Groups no longer supports new Usenet posts or subscriptions. Historical content remains viewable.
Dismiss
Opening statements begin in trial of former deputy accused of failing to confront Parkland shooter
1 view
Skip to first unread message
Leroy N. Soetoro
Jun 7, 2023, 4:22:57 PM6/7/23
to
https://www.kcra.com/article/trial-of-parkland-school-resource-officer-
who-stayed-outside/44116439
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. —
The trial of the former school resource officer who remained outside a
Parkland, Florida, high school five years ago while 17 people were gunned
down inside started in earnest Wednesday, as prosecutors and the defense
attorney gave their opening statements.
Related video above: On the 5th anniversary of the shooting, one survivor
says 'I don't want to forget about them'
The state has accused retired Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy Scot
Peterson of failing to follow his active shooter training by staying
outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018, taking
cover for at least 45 minutes while a former student carried out what
remains the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. Among the
slain were 14 students and three staff members; 17 others were injured.
In his opening statement, prosecutor Steven Klinger gave the jury an
exhaustive description of the shooting, in which he said, “Seventeen
beautiful people were lost.”
But when Peterson arrived on the scene, with gunfire erupting inside the
school’s 1200 building, he took a position, Klinger said, in an alcove
between the nearby 700 and 800 buildings.
“The defendant will never leave that alcove while the shooter is in the
building,” Klinger said, adding Peterson wouldn’t move for about 48
minutes.
The case highlights the expectations for officers responding to active
shooters as the country faces a seemingly endless scourge of gun violence,
with schools such as those in Parkland; Uvalde, Texas; and Newtown,
Connecticut, etched in public memory as the scenes of some of the most
devastating massacres.
Peterson has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts – including seven of felony
child neglect, three of culpable negligence and one of perjury – and
maintains he did nothing wrong. The 60-year-old, who retired as criticism
of his alleged failure mounted, has said he didn’t enter the unfolding
scene of carnage in the school’s 1200 building because he couldn’t tell
where the gunshots were coming from.
Before the shooting, Peterson was a dedicated and decorated officer who
had served for more than three decades, his attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, told
CNN.
“After a 32-year career, this loving husband and father of four went from
hero, and in 4 minutes and 15 seconds, he went to criminal,” the defense
lawyer said.
Jury selection began last Wednesday, yielding a panel of six jurors and
four alternates tasked with weighing the state’s unusual case, which
experts have described to CNN as the first of its kind and a legal
stretch.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office charged Peterson under a Florida
statute that usually applies to caretakers, arguing the then-deputy, in
his capacity as a school resource officer, was a caregiver responsible for
the protection of the high school’s students and staff.
Peterson was at the school administration building on Feb. 14, 2018, when
the shooter opened fire on the first floor of the 1200 building, according
to a probable cause affidavit. Peterson got to the building’s east
entrance about 2 minutes later, per a timeline in the affidavit.
Peterson moved about 75 feet away and “positioned himself behind the wall
of the stairwell on the northeast corner of the 700 Building” – a third
campus structure – the affidavit says, calling it a “position of cover” he
held for the duration of the shooting.
Beyond the child neglect and culpable negligence charges, Peterson was
charged with perjury for telling investigators he heard only two or three
gunshots after arriving at the scene of the shooting, the affidavit says,
while other witnesses said they’d heard more.
Peterson’s attorney intends to argue, in part, that his client’s confusion
about the location of the shooter was reasonable and shared by others at
the scene, including members of law enforcement, teachers and students,
Eiglarsh told CNN. The lawyer also contends Peterson’s actions at the
scene illustrate he was not negligent but reacting as well as he could
with the information he had, he said.
Additionally, Eiglarsh disagrees with the decision to charge his client
under the caretaker statute, he told CNN, calling the choice
“preposterous.”
“He’s not a legal caregiver,” Eiglarsh said, acknowledging he understands
the argument. “But he’s not a teacher, he’s not a parent, he’s not a
kidnapper who’s responsible for the well-being of a child. He’s not hired
by the school system.”
In the past, Peterson and his attorneys have argued the caretaker statute
does not apply to him, emphasizing one person is responsible for the
deaths and injuries that day: the gunman, then-19-year-old Nikolas Cruz,
who pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted
murder and was sentenced last year to life in prison without the
possibility of parole after a jury declined to unanimously recommend the
death penalty.
That outcome angered and disappointed many victims’ families, including
some who see Peterson’s trial as another opportunity for justice.
“We should not portray or allow the defense team or the deputy who failed
to act properly to portray himself as a victim,” Tony Montalto, the father
of 14-year-old victim Gina Montalto told CNN before jury selection. “He
was charged with keeping the students and staff safe, and he failed to do
so.”
“Regardless of the outcome in the trial,” he said, “I hope he’s haunted
every day by the fact that his actions cost lives.”
https://www.kcra.com/article/trial-of-parkland-school-resource-officer-
who-stayed-outside/44116439
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
who-stayed-outside/44116439
BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. —
The trial of the former school resource officer who remained outside a
Parkland, Florida, high school five years ago while 17 people were gunned
down inside started in earnest Wednesday, as prosecutors and the defense
attorney gave their opening statements.
Related video above: On the 5th anniversary of the shooting, one survivor
says 'I don't want to forget about them'
The state has accused retired Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputy Scot
Peterson of failing to follow his active shooter training by staying
outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018, taking
cover for at least 45 minutes while a former student carried out what
remains the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. Among the
slain were 14 students and three staff members; 17 others were injured.
In his opening statement, prosecutor Steven Klinger gave the jury an
exhaustive description of the shooting, in which he said, “Seventeen
beautiful people were lost.”
But when Peterson arrived on the scene, with gunfire erupting inside the
school’s 1200 building, he took a position, Klinger said, in an alcove
between the nearby 700 and 800 buildings.
“The defendant will never leave that alcove while the shooter is in the
building,” Klinger said, adding Peterson wouldn’t move for about 48
minutes.
The case highlights the expectations for officers responding to active
shooters as the country faces a seemingly endless scourge of gun violence,
with schools such as those in Parkland; Uvalde, Texas; and Newtown,
Connecticut, etched in public memory as the scenes of some of the most
devastating massacres.
Peterson has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts – including seven of felony
child neglect, three of culpable negligence and one of perjury – and
maintains he did nothing wrong. The 60-year-old, who retired as criticism
of his alleged failure mounted, has said he didn’t enter the unfolding
scene of carnage in the school’s 1200 building because he couldn’t tell
where the gunshots were coming from.
Before the shooting, Peterson was a dedicated and decorated officer who
had served for more than three decades, his attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, told
CNN.
“After a 32-year career, this loving husband and father of four went from
hero, and in 4 minutes and 15 seconds, he went to criminal,” the defense
lawyer said.
Jury selection began last Wednesday, yielding a panel of six jurors and
four alternates tasked with weighing the state’s unusual case, which
experts have described to CNN as the first of its kind and a legal
stretch.
The Broward State Attorney’s Office charged Peterson under a Florida
statute that usually applies to caretakers, arguing the then-deputy, in
his capacity as a school resource officer, was a caregiver responsible for
the protection of the high school’s students and staff.
Peterson was at the school administration building on Feb. 14, 2018, when
the shooter opened fire on the first floor of the 1200 building, according
to a probable cause affidavit. Peterson got to the building’s east
entrance about 2 minutes later, per a timeline in the affidavit.
Peterson moved about 75 feet away and “positioned himself behind the wall
of the stairwell on the northeast corner of the 700 Building” – a third
campus structure – the affidavit says, calling it a “position of cover” he
held for the duration of the shooting.
Beyond the child neglect and culpable negligence charges, Peterson was
charged with perjury for telling investigators he heard only two or three
gunshots after arriving at the scene of the shooting, the affidavit says,
while other witnesses said they’d heard more.
Peterson’s attorney intends to argue, in part, that his client’s confusion
about the location of the shooter was reasonable and shared by others at
the scene, including members of law enforcement, teachers and students,
Eiglarsh told CNN. The lawyer also contends Peterson’s actions at the
scene illustrate he was not negligent but reacting as well as he could
with the information he had, he said.
Additionally, Eiglarsh disagrees with the decision to charge his client
under the caretaker statute, he told CNN, calling the choice
“preposterous.”
“He’s not a legal caregiver,” Eiglarsh said, acknowledging he understands
the argument. “But he’s not a teacher, he’s not a parent, he’s not a
kidnapper who’s responsible for the well-being of a child. He’s not hired
by the school system.”
In the past, Peterson and his attorneys have argued the caretaker statute
does not apply to him, emphasizing one person is responsible for the
deaths and injuries that day: the gunman, then-19-year-old Nikolas Cruz,
who pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted
murder and was sentenced last year to life in prison without the
possibility of parole after a jury declined to unanimously recommend the
death penalty.
That outcome angered and disappointed many victims’ families, including
some who see Peterson’s trial as another opportunity for justice.
“We should not portray or allow the defense team or the deputy who failed
to act properly to portray himself as a victim,” Tony Montalto, the father
of 14-year-old victim Gina Montalto told CNN before jury selection. “He
was charged with keeping the students and staff safe, and he failed to do
so.”
“Regardless of the outcome in the trial,” he said, “I hope he’s haunted
every day by the fact that his actions cost lives.”
https://www.kcra.com/article/trial-of-parkland-school-resource-officer-
who-stayed-outside/44116439
--
We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
stupid people won't be offended.
Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
fiasco, President Trump.
Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
queer liberal democrat donors.
President Trump boosted the economy, reduced illegal invasions, appointed
dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
Greg Carr
Jun 7, 2023, 7:21:53 PM6/7/23
to
Five years after the Parkland mass shooting that left 17 dead, the former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School resource officer accused of failing to confront the teenage gunman faced trial on Wednesday.
“In an active shooter situation, [police] are trained to go towards the shots because people are dying…so you can stop the killing,” Assistant State Attorney Steven Klinger told Broward County jurors during his opening statements. “Seventeen beautiful people were lost.”
Scot Peterson, now known as the “the coward of Broward,” has pleaded not guilty to several counts, including child neglect and perjury, for his failed response during the February 14, 2018 massacre in Parkland, Florida. Prosecutors allege that the ex-Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy failed to follow active shooting training and remained outside the three-story Parkland, Florida building for about 48 minutes.
During that time, former student Nikolas Cruz, armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle, carried out the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history that also left 17 others injured. Among the dead in the six-minute attack were three staff members and 14 students. (Cruz, who pleaded guilty to 35 counts of murder and attempted murder, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last year.)
If convicted, Peterson faces nearly a century in prison and would lose his $104,000 annual pension. His trial notably marks the first time a law enforcement officer has faced a trial for failing to confront a gunman—raising questions about police responsibility during active shootings.
Peterson, 60, was seen shaking his head and wiping away tears as Klinger detailed to jurors how he allegedly failed his duties as a law enforcement officer during the deadly attack. Klinger argued that an armed Peterson was the first to arrive at the high school via golf cart, about 73 seconds before Cruz reached the building’s third floor. But instead of confronting Cruz, prosecutors alleged he backed away as the gunman opened fire and directed other officers away from the gunman.
“The defendant will never leave that alcove while the shooter is in the building,” Klinger said.
As the prosecution’s first witness, Danielle Gilbert described how the shooting began during her 4th-period class on Valentine’s Day in 2018. A junior at the time, she said the day “started off great” because of the holiday—until her class heard gunshots and instantly knew what was going on.
“The sound was unmistakable,” Gilbert told jurors, noting that she and her peers in room 1213 moved out of the way and “sat and duck and huddled as closely as we could.”
Ultimately, Cruz would walk toward her classroom, shooting into the door and hitting four of her classmates before she said he “moved on.” One of those classmates, Carmen Schentrup, was fatally shot. Jurors also heard a cell phone video Gilbert took during the mass shooting, a harrowing time in which she said she and her peers were just waiting for help to arrive and assisting those who had been shot.
“I was just waiting for police, it was the longest 20 minutes of my life,” Gilbert said, adding that she did not see Peterson assist students that day. “It felt like an eternity and the whole time, we were just waiting for the police to come. For someone to knock on the door and take us out of that horror.”
Ivy Schamis, a former social studies teacher, also testified Wednesday about the shooting, where she remembers shots “flying all over our classroom.”
Afterward, prosecutors allege Peterson lied after the shooting and said he only heard two or three shots from the building and did not see any students running when he was in the school stairwell.
Peterson, however, has maintained his innocence in the deadly incident and has long insisted that he did not enter the school because he thought the shots were coming from outside. Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh also told jurors that his team is planning to call 22 witnesses to the stand to prove Peterson’s innocence, including former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.
Eiglarsh also noted that despite his 32-year law enforcement career, Peterson turned into a scapegoat for law enforcement failures in the Parkland shooting and faced intense criticism and scrutiny for his actions. He insists that his client did not lie to law enforcement after the shooting, and simply relayed what he heard and believed at the time.
“My client was sacrificed. The evidence will show that he was thrown under the bus,” Eiglarsh added. “My client is not a criminal and the evidence will not prove that he did not commit any criminal offenses at all. He did not know where those shots were coming from.”
The defense attorney stressed that the only person to blame in the tragic shooting is Cruz, whom he called a “sick, twisted monster.”
https://www.thedailybeast.com/coward-of-broward-trial-starts-for-deputy-scot-peterson-who-didnt-confront-parkland-mass-shooter He looks lousy the article has a pic of him. The American Justice system hates ppl named Scott Peterson.
>
> --
> We live in a time where intelligent people are being silenced so that
> stupid people won't be offended.
>
> Durham Report: The FBI has an integrity problem. It has none.
>
> No collusion - Special Counsel Robert Swan Mueller III, March 2019.
> Officially made Nancy Pelosi a two-time impeachment loser.
>
> Thank you for cleaning up the disaster of the 2008-2017 Obama / Biden
> fiasco, President Trump.
>
> Under Barack Obama's leadership, the United States of America became the
> The World According To Garp. Obama sold out heterosexuals for Hollywood
> queer liberal democrat donors.
>
> President Trump boosted the economy,
>reduced illegal invasions,
That he did.
>appointed
> dozens of judges and three SCOTUS justices.
For some reason mass killings are up under Biden compared to 45.
0 new messages