Off-Duty Police Officer Testifies in Trial of Deputy Accused of Not Stopping Parkland Shooter
The trial of former Broward Deputy Scot Peterson, accused of failing to confront the shooter responsible for the Parkland high school massacre in 2018, is underway. The trial has drawn national attention as Peterson is the first US law enforcement officer ever charged for an alleged failure to act during a school shooting. The trial began on Wednesday and is expected to last up to two months.
Jeffrey Heinrich, an off-duty police officer who was at the school during the shooting, testified for a second day for the prosecution on Thursday. Heinrich described how he mistook gunshots for fireworks before realizing what was happening and approached unarmed. He said he initially thought the shots were coming from in or near the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School classroom building where the 17 murders occurred. But it wasn’t until he spoke to a wounded student several minutes after the shooting started that he knew for certain.
Heinrich testified he was watering the baseball field about 200m away from the 1200 building when the shooting began. His son played for the school team and Heinrich was a volunteer groundskeeper at the school, where his wife teaches physical education. He said he heard loud bangs, but having worked as a school police officer, he just thought a student had set off firecrackers. And though he then heard the fire alarm go off, he only began to suspect gunshots when he saw panicked students running from the building. He dropped the hose and ran toward the buildings, even though he was unarmed and dressed in shorts and a T-shirt.
“My training is that you run toward the sound of gunshots,” he said. “It was just instinct.” He said officers are told to get to the shooter because every gunshot is potentially another death.
Heinrich said he rushed a wounded student to a baseball locker room where he stemmed the bleeding until paramedics arrived. It was then that the student told him he had been shot on the 1200 building’s third floor. Heinrich called his dispatchers.
Peterson, 60, is charged with failing to confront shooter Nikolas Cruz before the gunman reached the 1200 building’s third floor, where six of the victims died. Peterson is not charged in connection with the 11 deaths on the first floor, before he reached the building. He never entered the building, taking cover nearby. He insists he did not know where the shots were coming from.
The most serious charges against Peterson are seven counts of felony child neglect for four students killed and three wounded on the third floor. For Peterson to be convicted of child neglect, prosecutors must first show he was legally a caregiver to the juvenile students – defined by Florida law as “a parent, adult household member or other person responsible for a child’s welfare”. If jurors find Peterson was a caregiver, they must determine whether he made a “reasonable effort” to protect the children or failed to provide necessary care.
Peterson’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, on cross-examination, emphasized that Heinrich also couldn’t tell where the shots were coming from. Heinrich said that was true, but that if he had been armed he would have gone towards where he thought they were until he found the shooter.
Heinrich’s testimony sheds light on the chaos and confusion that ensued during the shooting and highlights the difficult decisions that law enforcement officers face during such incidents. The trial will continue to examine Peterson’s actions and whether he could have done more to prevent the tragedy.
The Parkland school shooting shocked the country and renewed calls for gun reforms, but more than five years later, the US continues to suffer from regular mass shootings and rampant gun violence. Similarly, Texas authorities are investigating officers in the town of Uvalde who didn’t confront the shooter who killed 19 elementary students and two teachers last year. None have been charged, however.
The trial of Peterson is a significant moment in the ongoing debate over gun violence and school safety in the US. It remains to be seen what the outcome of the trial will be and what impact it will have on future incidents. However, it is clear that the tragedy at Parkland has left a lasting impact on the community and the country as a whole.
H2 Headings:
-Off-Duty Police Officer Testifies in Trial of Deputy Accused of Not Stopping Parkland Shooter
-Heinrich’s Testimony Highlights Chaos and Confusion During Parkland Shooting
-Trial Examines Peterson’s Actions and Responsibility in Parkland Tragedy
-The Parkland Shooting and Ongoing Debate Over Gun Violence in the US