Jury Reachers Verdict in Trial of Scot Peterson, Who Failed to Confront Parkland High School Gunman

A Florida jury has returned with a verdict against Scot Peterson, the former school resource officer who took cover for 48 minutes while a gunman massacred 17 students and educators at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

It took the jury of three men and three women more than four days to deliberate after the two-and-a-half-week trial.

Peterson faces seven counts of child neglect, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury for what has been described as a “derelict” failure of his duties.

State prosecutors accuse Peterson, 60, of ignoring his training and doing nothing as the students were gunned down in what became the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history.

The jury's decision could have a significant effect on future cases, as American courts determine what is expected of law enforcement officers in mass shooting situations — most significantly in Uvalde, Texas, where officers infamously waited for an hour before entering the classrooms at Robb Elementary School where 19 students and two teachers had been gunned down.

In closing arguments on Monday, Assistant State Attorney Kristen Gomes said that Peterson "left behind an unrestricted killer to spend the next 4 minutes and 15 seconds wandering the halls at his leisure. When Scot Peterson ran, he left children trapped inside of the building with a predator unchecked."

But defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh has told jurors that Peterson arrived at the scene without a bulletproof vest or rifle. The defense alleges that Peterson did take action, calling for measures to lock down the school.

Eiglarsh told jurors during closing arguments that Peterson never knew exactly where the shooter was. Other witnesses testified they they were unable to narrow down where the shots had originated.

Under current Florida law, police officers are not required to sacrifice their lives in the line of duty.

But Broward County prosecutors allege that Peterson had the same legal duty to intervene, under Florida law, as a "parent, legal custodian, permanent guardian, adult household member, or other person responsible for a child’s welfare.”