FOUR deputies failed to enter school building in shooting

A Florida police department has accused local sheriff deputies of failing to confront the mass shooter or enter Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the attack last week.

Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, the armed school resource officer, was branded a ‘coward’ by President Trump after it emerged he waited outside the building during the recent mass shooting that claimed the lives of 17 students and teachers.

Now Coral Springs police officers have revealed that when they responded to the shooting, they found another three Broward County Sheriff’s deputies cowering behind their vehicles, law enforcement sources told CNN.

Not one of the four deputies had entered the school, sources said.

Broward County Sheriff’s Office did not return reporters’ requests for comment.

Surveillance footage, from cameras at the scene, is currently being reviewed which will provide definitive proof of the sheriff’s office response, along with an official report from Coral Springs officers.

But it seems that the Broward deputies’ alleged fail to act is causing friction between the two law enforcement groups.

That growing resentment boiled over on February 15, the day after the fatal shooting, when officers from both Coral Springs and Broward attended the candlelit vigil for victims.

Coral Springs City Manager Mike Goodrum angrily confronted Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, in front of a dozen witnesses, over the claims that Israel’s officers had remained outside the high school while students could have been bleeding out inside, sources said. 

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel speaks before the start of a CNN town hall meeting at the BB&T Center, in Sunrise, Florida on February 21

Goodrum later admitted to having a ‘heated moment’ with the sheriff but said they had put the confrontation behind them. 

‘Given the horrific events of that day emotions were running high and the sheriff and I had a heated moment the following evening,’ he told CNN.

‘Sheriff Israel and I have spoken several times since and I can assure you that our departments have a good working relationship and the utmost respect for each other.’

An internal email by sent by Coral Springs Police Chief Tony Pustizzi just days after the shooting, appears to show that his officers had concerned about how the Sheriff’s Department were presenting themselves in the wake of the shooting. 

‘I understand that another agency has given the impression that it had provided the majority of the rescue efforts, and that the tremendous work of the Coral Springs Police and Fire Departments has not been recognized,’ he said in the email, obtained by CNN.

‘Please know that this issue will be addressed, and the truth will come out in time.’

Suspected gunman Nikolas Cruz appears in court for a status hearing before Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer on February 19 

The massacre ranks as the second-deadliest shooting ever at a U.S. public school, and was carried out by a lone gunman wielding a semiautomatic AR-15-style assault rifle.

Coral Springs officers reported that they arrived at the scene on February 14, and were stunned to find all four deputies still outside the building, with their pistils drawn.

With some direction from the Broward deputies, the Coral Springs officers entered the building to track down the shooter. 

Additional Broward deputies soon arrived, and two of them joined the Coral Springs officers inside the building, along with an officer from Sunrise City Police.

Israel has confirmed that video from the school shows Deputy Peterson, the school’s armed response officer and former employee of the month, standing outside the building for more than four minutes while suspected gunman Nikolas Cruz, 19, opened fire inside.

‘What I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of Building 12, take up a position and he never went in,’ said Sheriff Israel, referring to the building on campus, popularly known as the ‘freshman building,’ where authorities said the bulk of the shooting occurred.

PICTURED: Fourteen students, geography teacher, coach and athletic director shot dead in Florida high school massacre

Jaime Guttenberg, 14, (left) was described by relatives as a ‘kind-hearted, sweet’ girl. She attended the school with her younger brother who survived and rushed home afterwards. Senior Nicholas Dworet (right) was a gifted swimmer who had his sights set on 2020 Tokyo Olympics success. His devastated college student girlfriend is among those grieving his death. Friends said he was not just a talented athlete, but a ‘good guy’ who will be missed

Martin Duque, 14, (left) was missing for hours on Wednesday and his frantic family desperately appealed for him to get in touch on social media. On Thursday, his older brother Miguel confirmed his death. Martin was a freshman. Meadow Pollack, 18, (right) was preparing for college. Her father was at the school on Wednesday and showed her photograph around in the hope that she would be found alive

Cara Loughran (left) was missing on Wednesday afternoon. Her mother Denise and her father rushed to the designated hotel where parents were told to go to be reunited with their children in the hope that she would be found alive. Her grieving neighbor confirmed her death on Thursday. Alyssa Alhadeff, 15, (right) was eulogized by her mother who said she was a talented soccer player and creative mind. ‘All she had to offer the world was love… I just sent her to school and she was shot and killed,’ she said

Luke Hoyer, 15, (left) was described as a ‘precious’ child by his grandparents who confirmed his death. They found out about the shooting on television. They said he was a ‘good kid’ who ‘never got in trouble’. Joaquin Oliver, 17, (right) was also killed. Joaquin was a Venezuelan immigrant who came to the US with his family for a ‘better future’, they said on Thursday

Gina Montalto, 15, (left) was described as a ‘light and joy’. She and Jaime, another victim, volunteered at a local project called The Friendship Initiative where they acted as buddies for children with special needs. Gina’s mother Jennifer shared pleas to find her on social media on Wednesday. Alaina Petty, 14, (right) was also killed. Her Mormon church confirmed her death, saying she was a ‘valiant’ member

Carmen Schentrup, 16, (left) was also killed in the shooting. Carmen was a gifted student who last year was named as a semifinalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program. It includes students who score above average in their SATs or National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. ROTC student Peter Wang, 15, (right) also died. His parents speak little English and relied on their neighbor to post social media appeals looking for him. They went to the Marriott hotel with other parents to wait for news of him on Wednesday night and have since confirmed that he was among those killed

Alex Schachter, 14, (left) was also killed.  His mother died when he was a child and he attended the school in Florida with his brother, who survived. The teenager’s father Max said he was a ‘sweetheart of a child’ who ‘just wanted to do well and please his parents’. Helena Ramsey, 17, (right) was described by relatives as a ‘reserved’ and studious girl who was due to go to college next year

Geography Scott Beigel, 35, (left) was shot dead as he tried to lock the door of his classroom again after letting a group of fleeing students in to hide. They were running away from the gunman. Aaron Feis, 37, (right) died acting as a human shield. The track coach had thrown himself on top of the kids to stop the bullets from hitting him. He was a former student and was also a security guard at the school where he had worked for eight years

Athletic director Chris Hixon, 49, was also killed shielding students

 

Israel told reporters the shooting in the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Parkland lasted six minutes, and that Peterson arrived at the freshman building about 90 seconds after the first shots were fired, then lingered outside for at least four minutes.

Asked what the deputy should have done, Israel replied: ‘Went in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer.’

Peterson has not given a reason for why he did not enter the building, Israel said.

Neither the deputy nor any representatives could immediately be reached for comment.

Israel said he would not release the video at this time and may never do so, ‘depending on the prosecution and criminal case’ against Cruz, the 19-year-old former student who is charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the assault.

Peterson was initially suspended without pay, and has since resigned.  

An internal memo on Scot Peterson’s personnel file shows that he was named employee of the month in May 2012, and was given the honor in large part for his work with the students.

‘Your district has recognized you as an exemplary deputy who has made a difference in the community where you serve,’ reads the memo. 

Performance evaluations included in that same file also show that Peterson received glowing performance reviews. 

And in March 2017, Peterson was nominated for Deputy of the Year. 

‘Throughout 2016, Deputy Peterson conducted numerous investigations. He always went the extra step and followed through on each case and conducted thorough follow ups,’ wrote the recommending officer.

‘The crimes he handled including property crimes, assaults, and batteries, aggravated assaults, and narcotics violations. His investigative skills resulted in numerous arrests and recovered property.’

Another photo shared on Snapchat showed a classroom sprayed with bullets: ‘There’s bullet holes in the f***ing computer.’

The recommendation also noted that Peterson ‘uses appropriate resources at his disposal, including mental health professionals and investigators from the school board.’

His recommendation for that honor came in the wake of his last annual review. 

It also said that Peterson was expected to ‘continue to produce the high level of service to the students and staff at his school’ while recommending her ‘seek specialized training related to his duties as an SRO.’ 

Deputy Peterson was the only law enforcement officer present on February 14 when the rampage started, Sheriff Israel said.

He was later joined by the other three deputies from Broward County, before the Coral Springs officers arrived. 

Authorities have said that Cruz, who was expelled from Stoneman Douglas High last year for unspecified disciplinary problems, made his getaway moments after the shooting by blending in with students fleeing the school for safety.

Police officers arriving on the scene from the adjacent city of Coral Springs thought the gunman was still inside as they searched the building, based on a security camera video feed that they mistakenly believed was showing them real-time images but was actually footage from 20 minutes earlier.

Coral Springs Police Chief Tony Pustizzi told reporters on Thursday that the confusion stemmed from human error and a ‘communication failure,’ not malfunctioning equipment.  

The vigil began with a moment of silence for those slain at the school on February 15

Hundreds of people attended a heartbreaking vigil for the 17 shooting victims in Florida on February 15

He insisted that the mishap did not put any lives in danger.

Now an investigation has been launched into how two of the other deputies handled warnings about the gunman before the shooting.

The Broward sheriff has said Cruz, after slipping away from the school, casually spent more than an hour drifting through a Walmart store and visiting two fast-food outlets before he was spotted and arrested.

Israel said Thursday he had decided on the basis of his findings to suspend Peterson, but the deputy resigned first. 

Israel said two other deputies were placed on restrictive administrative assignment, stemming from their response to numerous calls for service and reports received by the sheriff’s department pertaining to Cruz during the past 10 years.

The shooting renewed a national debate between proponents of gun rights, as enshrined in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, and advocates for tougher restrictions on firearms.

High school students from Stoneman Douglas and elsewhere around the country have launched a protest and lobbying campaign demanding new curbs on assault weapons. U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested school gun violence could be abated by arming teachers.

The head of the National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, lashed out at gun control advocates, accusing liberal elites of politicizing the Florida mass shooting to try to attack ‘our firearms freedoms so they can eradicate all individual freedoms.’

The carnage also raised questions about whether law enforcement agencies did all they could to detect and follow up on possible warning signs of last week’s gun violence in advance.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation prompted widespread outrage last Friday when it said it had failed to act on a tip warning that a man, since identified as Cruz, had possessed a gun, the desire to kill and the potential to commit a school shooting.

The revelation prompted Governor Rick Scott, a Republican, to call for the resignation of FBI Director Christopher Wray. 

Florida gunman Nikolas Cruz’s arrest affidavit

The complaint affidavit against Nikolas Jacob Cruz reveals he has been charged with 17 counts of pre-meditated murder and confirms both of his parents are dead.

The documents say that at 2.23pm on February 14, multiple 911 calls were received of a shooting taking place at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Cruz’s height is give as 5’87, his weight as 128 lbs and birthplace United States of America.

The affidavit outlines the chain of events that happened during the Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School massacre 

According to the document, Cruz was first spotted by an unnamed witness after arriving by Uber 

Both of Cruz’s parents are deceased and he is living with a family, who give him his own room 

The affidavit states that Cruz admitted being the shooter and that he planned to blend in with crowd after carrying out the killings 

Cruz was charged with a total of 17 counts of premeditated murder relating to the shootings

Cruz made his first court appearance accompanied by a public defender 

‘Multiple deceased persons were observed at the scene,’ read the affidavit, which continues that ‘the shooter attempted to blend in with fleeing students and was able to elude arriving officers’.

A sworn statement from a witness, whose name was redacted, said he recognized Cruz as a ‘troubled former student’ who arrived in a ‘small goldish colored vehicle’

The witness stated Cruz was wearing a maroon shirt, black pants and a black hat and was carrying a black duffel bag and black backpack. He was walking ‘purposefully’ towards school buildings the witness said.

‘Within a minute he heard gunshots and called a “Code Red” indicating an emergency on campus,’ the affidavit reads.

According to the affidavit, both Cruz’s parents are deceased and he was staying with a family who have given him his own room in their house.

‘Cruz stated that he was the gunman and entered the school campus armed with an AR-15 and began shooting students that he saw on the hallways and on the school grounds’.

‘Cruz admitted that as students began to flee on foot he decided to plan to  discard the AR-15 and vest with additional magazines so he could blend in with the crowd.’