Deputy acquitted of all charges for failing to act during deadly Parkland school shooting

Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School School Resource Officer Scot Peterson embraces his wife, Lydia Rodriguez, after Peterson was found not guilty on all charges at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Thursday, June 29, 2023. Peterson was acquitted of child neglect and other charges for failing to act during the Parkland school massacre, where 14 students and three staff members were murdered.

After court adjourned, Peterson, his family and friends rushed into a group hug as they whooped, hollered and cried. Kevin Bolling, Peterson’s private investigator, chased after lead prosecutor Chris Killoran and said something. Killoran turned and snapped at him, “Way to be a good winner” and slapped him on the shoulder. Members of the prosecution team then nudged Killoran out of the courtroom.

“I got my life back. We’ve got our life back,” Peterson said as he exited the courtroom, his arm around his wife, Lydia Rodriguez, and his lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh. He has insisted that he would have confronted the shooter Nikolas Cruz, but because of echoes, he didn't know where the shots were coming from. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster for so long.”“Only one person was to blame and it was that monster ,” Peterson said. “It wasn’t any of the law enforcement who was on that scene. ...

Peterson said he hopes to one day sit down with the Parkland parents and spouses — some of whom have publicly called him “the coward of Broward.” He wants to tell them “the truth,” that he did everything he could.But two fathers who watched the verdict, Tony Montalto and Tom Hoyer, had no interest in meeting with Peterson. Montalto's 14-year-old daughter Gina was killed on the first floor; Hoyer's 15-year-old son Luke died next to her.

“No. No. Bring me my daughter back,” Montalto said about meeting with Peterson. “We’ll all trade anything to get our kids back. The spouses, they who lost someone, they want them back, too. And if that’s not going to happen, why do we need to talk to this failure? He didn’t do the right thing. He ran away.

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