Scot Peterson not guilty over Parkland school shooting response

Former sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson has been found not guilty of failing to protect students during a school shooting in Florida in 2018. 

Peterson chose to stay outside during the attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, near Miami. The attack is among one of America’s most deadly school shootings. 17 people were killed and 17 were left injured. 

Peterson, the school’s resource officer, was found not guilty of 11 charges including felony child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury. 

But the verdict was not well received by some of the parents of the victims, who say Peterson’s “inaction” contributed to the overall trauma of the event. 

Peterson had been armed during the shooting but he was not wearing body armour and chose to stay in an alcove adjacent to the school building for 30 to 40 minutes until the shooting stopped.