A police officer who was on responsibility when a gunman opened hearth at a Florida highschool has gone on trial accused of failing to guard college students through the 2018 mass taking pictures.

Scot Peterson may have confronted gunman Nikolas Cruz and prevented the deaths of six of the 17 individuals killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School 5 years in the past, prosecutor Steven Klinger instructed jurors at Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.

The 60-year-old former sheriff's officer, who retired and was fired retrospectively after the taking pictures, was charged in 2019 with 11 legal expenses.

These embody seven counts of felony baby neglect for 4 college students killed and three wounded on the constructing's third ground, three counts of culpable negligence for the adults shot on the identical ground, and one in every of perjury - prosecutors say he lied to investigators.

The expenses carry a mixed most jail sentence of as much as 97 years.

Peterson arrived on the faculty along with his gun drawn 73 seconds earlier than Cruz reached the third ground, the courtroom heard.

After listening to the sound of gunfire, he took cowl as an alternative of coming into the three-storey constructing, the prosecutor instructed jurors.

The officer had undergone coaching wherein he was instructed that he wanted to go towards the gunshots if there may be an lively shooter as a result of every bullet fired is probably one other loss of life, Mr Klinger stated.

"He's the lead security person at that school," he stated.

"He is trained on active shooter scenarios; he is trained how to handle a situation where he is the only law enforcement person there to handle an active shooter.

"You've acquired to get in there and you have to discover the shooter."

Defending, Mark Eiglarsh said Peterson was unable to determine the source of the gunfire while he waited outside, and ridiculed the idea that he should be charged with child neglect, "as if he is a mom who fails to offer a toddler water or meals".

"He did the whole lot that he presumably may with the restricted info that he had," he instructed the courtroom.

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It is extremely uncommon for legislation enforcement officers to be charged with failing to take motion or present care.

A jury final 12 months voted to spare the gunman, Cruz, from the loss of life penalty, as an alternative calling for life in jail with out the potential of parole.

Content Source: information.sky.com