On Thursday, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office released the unedited video of the behavior of school resource deputy Scot Peterson during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting.
The video is stunning.
The shooting began at 12:21 p.m., and Peterson arrived outside the area immediately — but then did nothing, as the video shows. He simply stood around. According to the Miami Herald:
The angle of the remaining footage shows the two pull up to the southeast corner of Building 12 as what appears to be a group of students – the images are blurred under orders from the judge – appear to be moving about frantically on a lawn. Peterson and Greenleaf can be seen waving, then the school officer assumes a position that is partially obstructed by a pole. The footage apparently shows Peterson remaining in that area for the next 20-plus minutes of the clip. Greenleaf appears to leave the view. Other officers show up, though it is not clear from the video whether they are BSO or Coral Springs officers, and students are eventually led out of the building.
The sheriff’s office released this statement:
The video speaks for itself. His [Peterson’s] actions were enough to warrant an internal affairs investigation, as requested by Sheriff Scott Israel on Feb. 21. After being suspended without pay, Peterson chose to resign and immediately retired rather than face possible termination.
Once again, it wasn’t the NRA standing outside the building. It wasn’t a law-abiding civilian. It was a law enforcement officer doing nothing for 20 full minutes.