Video Shows Parkland Deputy Never Entered School As Mass Shooting Happened Inside

He knew there was a shooting, but chose not to enter the building.
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A Parkland, Florida, sheriff’s deputy stood outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a gunman fired bullets on students inside, newly released video shows.

Former Deputy Scot Peterson resigned after an investigation by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office found he never engaged the shooter during the Feb. 14 mass shooting. The gunman killed 17 people and wounded more than a dozen others.

The surveillance video, released by the sheriff’s office on Thursday, shows Peterson first ushering students away from the school as gunfire erupted. Peterson and another man then get in a golf cart and drive away from the building.

Peterson can be seen circling back to the building, where he appears to wait outside while chaos unfolds inside for the remainder of the 27-minute video.

“Get the school locked down, gentlemen!” Peterson shouted at one point during the incident, police radio recordings released earlier this month show. The deputy could also be heard telling other officers to stay away.

“Do not approach the 12 or 1300 building. Stay at least 500 feet away at this point,” he said on the police radio minutes after the shooting had stopped and students and staff lay dying. The sheriff has said the protocol is for deputies to engage an active shooter. 

The sheriff’s office said it welcomed the court-ordered release of the video.

“It speaks for itself,” the department said in a statement. 

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