Scot Peterson, dubbed ‘Broward Coward,’ cleared of all charges in Parkland shooting response.

Former School Resource Officer Found Not Guilty in Parkland Shooting Case

Former School Resource Officer Scot Peterson was found not guilty on Thursday of all charges stemming from his much-criticized response to the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Peterson, who worked for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, was charged in 2019 “with seven counts of neglect of a child and three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury,” according to NBC News. He faced up to nearly 100 years in prison for each count of child neglect.

Peterson was dubbed “The Broward Coward” for failing to confront the shooter for nearly 45 minutes during the tragedy where 17 people were murdered and 17 more were injured. 

BREAKING: A Florida jury found former Parkland school resource officer #ScotPeterson NOT GUILTY of all charges related to the school massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018. Peterson was acquitted of child neglect and culpable negligence. pic.twitter.com/dPxbxXg394

— Law&Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) June 29, 2023

Peterson’s response, or lack thereof, was so controversial that it drew the attention of top officials across the country, including former President Donald Trump, who slammed Peterson just a few days after the tragedy.

“When it came time to get in there and do something, he didn’t have the courage or something happened. But he certainly did a poor job. There’s no question about that,” Trump said. “That’s a case where somebody was outside, they’re trained, they didn’t act properly or under pressure or they were a coward. It was a real shock to the police department.”

This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates. 

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