Prosecutor: Deputy fled throughout Parkland college bloodbath, placing personal life forward of scholars’

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida sheriff’s deputy fled to security through the 2018 Parkland college bloodbath, placing his personal life forward of the youngsters he was charged with defending and giving the gunman time to fatally shoot a number of victims, prosecutors informed jurors Monday through the closing arguments of his trial on youngster neglect fees.

Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson might have positioned and stopped Nikolas Cruz as he carried out his Feb. 14, 2018, assault contained in the three-story 1200 constructing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, prosecutor Kristen Gomes informed the jury. But as a substitute of opening a door, wanting in a window or looking for data from fleeing college students, he selected to take shelter subsequent to an adjoining constructing, Gomes mentioned. That prevented him from confronting Cruz earlier than he reached the third flooring, the place six of Cruz’s 17 killings have been dedicated.

Even if he hadn’t killed Cruz, his presence would have distracted him, giving college students and academics time to flee or disguise, or triggered him to give up or commit suicide, she mentioned.

“Choose to go in or choose to run? Scot Peterson chose to run,” Gomes mentioned. “When the defendant ran, he left behind an unrestricted killer who spent the next four minutes and 15 seconds wandering the halls at his leisure. Because when Scot Peterson ran, he left them in a building with a predator unchecked.”

But Peterson’s lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, argued that Peterson is being made a “sacrificial lamb” for failures by elected officers and directors. He mentioned the proof proves Peterson’s insistence that the gunshots’ echoes prevented him from pinpointing Cruz’s location is the reality and Peterson did every part he might below the circumstances. Criticizing his actions now’s “Monday morning quarterbacking” utilizing information that have been unknown to Peterson in actual time.

He mentioned the one particular person liable for what occurred that day is “that monster” Cruz. He mentioned two dozen college students, academics and others testified that additionally they couldn’t pinpoint the place the photographs have been coming from — a few of them from contained in the constructing the place the taking pictures occurred.

“This whole hearing-based prosecution is flawed and offensive,” Eiglarsh mentioned. He mentioned Peterson acted heroically through the taking pictures, staying put to transmit no matter data he had and would have charged into the constructing if he knew the place the shooter was. But if he did that or went elsewhere with out strong data and the shooter then killed others the place Peterson had left, he would have been prosecuted for that.

“He was damned no matter what,” Eiglarsh mentioned.

Peterson, the college’s on-campus deputy, is being tried for felony youngster neglect and different fees for the deaths and accidents on the third flooring. He just isn’t charged in reference to the deaths of 11 folks killed on the primary flooring earlier than he reached the constructing. It is the primary time a U.S. regulation enforcement officer has been tried in reference to a college taking pictures.

Peterson, 60, typically seemed down and shook his head through the prosecution’s presentation. Several members of the sufferer’s households glared at Eiglarsh from the gallery throughout his argument.

Prosecutors, throughout their two-week presentation, known as to the witness stand college students, academics and regulation enforcement officers who testified in regards to the horror they skilled and the way they knew the place Cruz was. Some mentioned they knew for sure the photographs have been coming from the 1200 constructing. Prosecutors additionally known as a coaching supervisor who testified Peterson didn’t observe protocols for confronting an lively shooter.

Eiglarsh throughout his two-day presentation known as a number of deputies who arrived through the taking pictures and college students and academics who testified they didn’t assume the photographs have been coming from the 1200 constructing. Peterson didn’t testify.

Eiglarsh additionally emphasised the failure of the sheriff’s radio system through the assault, which restricted what Peterson heard from arriving deputies. Gomes mentioned the radio system labored nicely through the essential first minutes of the assault, with Peterson being the one with the perfect data as he was inside ft of the constructing.

The jury may even must resolve whether or not Peterson was a caregiver to the juvenile college students who died and have been wounded on the third flooring — a authorized requirement for him to be convicted of kid neglect. Florida regulation defines a caregiver as “a parent, adult household member or other person responsible for a child’s welfare.” Caregivers are responsible of felony neglect in the event that they fail to make a “reasonable effort” to guard youngsters or don’t present crucial care.

The six jury members started their deliberations late Monday.

Gomes mentioned each father or mother who dropped their youngster off that morning anticipated Peterson to guard the scholars. Eiglarsh mentioned Peterson was not liable for feeding or clothes the scholars, so he was not their caregiver.

Security movies present that 36 seconds after Cruz’s assault started, Peterson exited his workplace about 100 yards from the 1200 constructing and jumped right into a cart with two unarmed civilian safety guards. They arrived on the constructing a minute later.

Peterson acquired out of the cart close to the east doorway to the first-floor hallway. Cruz was on the hallway’s reverse finish, firing his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle.

Peterson, who was not sporting a bullet-resistant vest, didn’t open the door. Instead, he took cowl 75-feet (23 meters) away within the alcove of a neighboring constructing, his gun nonetheless drawn. He stayed there for 40 minutes, lengthy after the taking pictures ended and different law enforcement officials had stormed the constructing.

Gomes’ colleague, Chris Killoran, informed the jury through the prosecution’s rebuttal argument that if Peterson really didn’t know the shooter’s location and wished to seek out him, he would have seemed into the 1200 constructing as he was solely ft away.

Peterson faces as much as practically 100 years in jail if convicted, though due to his clear file a sentence anyplace close to that size is extremely unlikely. He might additionally lose his $104,000 annual pension. He had spent practically three a long time working at faculties, together with 9 years at Stoneman Douglas. He retired shortly after the taking pictures and was then fired retroactively.