Scot Peterson, a former Florida deputy charged with felony child neglect for failing to stop a 2018 school shooting, was found not guilty on Thursday.
The former deputy was found not guilty of the 11 charges he faced, which included felony child neglect, culpable negligence, and perjury. Peterson, 60, was seen sobbing as the unanimous verdicts were read out in court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to the BBC.
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Peterson’s trial marks the first time a U.S. law enforcement official has been tried in connection to a school shooting. The shooting, which took place at Parkland‘s high school on February 14, 2018, left 17 people dead and another 17 injured.
Prosecutors claimed in closing arguments that Peterson had waited 45 minutes before confronting then-19-year-old Nikolas Cruz. Assistant State Attorney Kristen Gomes stated on Monday that Peterson “left behind an unrestricted killer to spend the next four minutes and 15 seconds wandering the halls at his leisure.”
Peterson’s defense had argued that he was confused about the location of the shots in the school. The defense also argued he was not a “caregiver” under a law that is used to prosecute parents or daycare providers when children are hurt while under their watch.
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Following the shooting, the Florida deputy retired after 32 years of serving as a deputy.
In 2021, Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. He was sentenced to life in prison.
