The frantic 911 call of the coward school cop who stayed outside as students were slaughtered at Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14 has been released.
Scot Peterson was the only officer at the scene in Parkland, Florida, when Cruz opened fire on Valentine’s Day at around 2.20pm. His 911 call was released on Thursday along with those of terrified students inside.
Peterson, who was fired for not entering the freshman building where 17 were murdered, first told the operator he thought the gunshots were ‘firecrackers’.
As the gravity of the situation became plain, he warned: ‘Do not approach the 12 and 1300 building.
‘Stay at least 500ft away at this point.’
That call was at 2.27pm, by which point gunman Nikolas Cruz had finished killing and had dumped his AR-15 rifle inside to flee in a crowd of scared students.
Peterson has defended himself since the massacre by claiming that he believed the gunfire was happening outside and that he did the right thing by standing his ground in the parking lot to determine where it was coming from.
The 911 call however reveals that he made reference to the shooting happening indoors at least once.
‘All right… We also heard it’s by, inside the 1200,’ he said. His first radio call went out at 2.23pm.
‘Be advised we have possible, could be firecrackers. I think we have shots fired, possible shots fired —1200 building,’ he said.
Once he had made his way there, he radioed again to confirm the location of the shooting but did not specify whether the shots were coming from inside or outside the building.
‘We’re talking about the 1200 building, it’s going to be the building off Holmberg Road.’
Panicked as the shots intensified, he then said: ‘Get the school locked down gentleman!’
Jeff Bell, the president of BSO’s police union, said the audio proved Peterson was cowardly on the day of the shooting.
‘It certainly backs up that he never went into the school. At one point he says to keep back 500 feet.
‘Why would he say that?’ he told The Miami Herald.
Peterson remained outside as other students who were in the school called 911 themselves to report the shooting. They are pictured being evacuated by a SWAT team which entered 24 minutes after the school resource officer’s first call
Peterson (above left) has defended not going into the school by saying that he thought the shots were coming from outside. Also under scrutiny is captain Jan Jordan (right) who ordered deputies to ‘stage a perimeter’ around the school before going inside
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office and its handling of the shooting has faced intense scrutiny. It is now the subject of a House Committee investigation.
Sheriff Scott Israel condemned Peterson’s response as cowardly, as has President Trump.
There are also questions over why captain Jan Jordan, who was issuing commands on the day of the shooting, ordered deputies to form a perimeter once they had arrived at the school instead of telling them to go inside straight away.
The first SWAT teams did not enter the school until 2.47pm, 15 minutes after Jordan’s perimeter request and 24 minutes after Peterson’s first call which referenced ‘firecrackers’.
Other harrowing calls from students and parents were also released on Thursday.
They included a mother speaking through a 911 operator to tell her daughter: ‘I love you, I love you. It’s going to be fine. Can you hide somewhere? Can you play dead? You need to do it.
‘If he shoots, you need to play dead … Tell her to pray. Tell her to pray for strength.’
The dispatcher then told her: ‘Be quiet, be quiet, keep the phone line open.
‘Don’t move. Just stay hidden.’
The calls began at 2.22pm, a minute before Peteron’s first one.
Cruz was dropped off at the school by an Uber at 2.19pm and began shooting within seconds of entering the school.