FLORIDA: An armed officer assigned to the school where 17 people died last week in a shooting attack did not intervene. Deputy Scott Petersen resigned after being suspended from the force.
“I am devastated. Sick to my stomach. He never went in,” said Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel.
He should have “Went in, addressed the killer, killed the killer,” he added.
Deputy Petersen arrived at the school about 90 seconds after first shots were fired but did not move in to confront the attacker. The attack itself lasted for six minutes but the officer stayed outside the school for four minutes after arriving. The assailant escaped but was later arrested.
It is not confirmed if the officer will face charges, he has not yet commented on the incident.
Local police officers are deployed at schools in the US to track and prevent crime. Scott Petersen, 54, worked at the school where the attack happened, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School since 2009.