BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Thursday, a jury found former Parkland School Resource Officer Scot Peterson not guilty on all counts related to his actions during the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Peterson was acquitted of 11 counts, including felony child neglect and culpable negligence.
Prosecutors said he ignored his active shooter training by staying outside of the school building for more than 40 minutes while the gunman opened fire. Meanwhile, defense attorney's argued Peterson could not tell where the shots were coming from.
"How dare prosecutors try to second guess the actions of honorable, decent police officers," said Peterson's attorney Mark Eiglarsh.
The parents of some Parkland victims called this a bad day, saying the verdict was disappointing.
"He knew where the shots were coming from, he was told where the shooter entered the building... yet he didn't have the courage to go inside," said Tony Montalto, father of Gina Rose Montalto who lost her life that day.
Montalto called the decision a lack of accountability. He said although Peterson will not serve time, it does not absolve him of his actions.
Peterson gave comment following the verdict, saying all law enforcement did the best they could with the information they had. Montalto, however, said that simply wasn't true.
"There were officers who did good things that day, and there were many officers who failed. And Peterson was chief among them."
Since the shooting on February 14, 2018, Tony Montalto has advocated for change with the group Stand For Parkland, which he founded. He said moving forward from this decision and the life sentence given to Nikolas Cruz last year, what's most important is giving victims the justice they deserve.
As for school safety, Montalto said Stand With Parkland believes in the School Resource Officer mission, but believes more guidance is needed.
"Clearly, we need a law that better fits the requirement and better points them to what should be expected," he said. "[Students] must be protected at all costs."
