Four minutes and 15 seconds.
That is the short time frame length between Agent Scot Peterson’s appearance outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas Secondary School’s 1200 structure and the last shots discharged by the desperate shooter, Nikolas Cruz, on Valentine’s Day in 2018.
During those four minutes and 15 seconds, seven people lost their lives, while others experienced serious wounds. In the mean time, Peterson, a 32-year veteran of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, looked for cover outside the close by 700 structure.
Both the arraignment and the guard settle on a certain something: Nikolas Cruz is the sole individual liable for the 17 homicides and endeavored murders that happened that day. Cruz is as of now carrying out numerous life punishments.
In any case, Peterson is currently confronting preliminary for six counts of exasperated youngster disregard with extraordinary substantial injury. The arraignment contends that Peterson’s activities and inaction during that short timeframe brought about damage to the understudies on the third floor.
Peterson’s preliminary is set to start with jury choice on Wednesday. His lawyer, Imprint Eiglarsh, solidly accepts that once given the proof, the jury will justify Peterson.
Examiners have framed their case in authoritative archives and official articulations. As per their record, Peterson showed up external the east entry of the 1200 structure and heard discharges from inside. Rather than hurrying into the structure and going up against the shooter, he decided to escape and find cover close by. He alarmed his kindred officials by means of radio that the shots were beginning from the 1200 structure. Had he entered the structure after Aaron Feis was shot and killed, the lives lost on the third floor could have been saved, including those of Peter Wang, Jaime Guttenberg, Knoll Pollack, Cara Loughran, Joaquin Oliver, and Scott Biegel.
Knoll Pollack’s dad, Andrew, communicated in a 2018 meeting, “Assuming he had been taking care of his business, I figure he might have saved everybody on that third floor.”
For Peterson, his lawful difficulties started freely eight days after the shooting that brought about a sum of 17 passings and 17 wounds.
Then-Broward Sheriff Scott Israel held a public interview, finding fault with Peterson for his inability to enter the 1200 structure. From that day forward, Peterson turned into the epitome of all that turned out badly from a policing right then and there. Guardians documented claims against Nikolas Cruz, the Broward School Area, the Broward Sheriff’s Office, and explicitly named Appointee Scot Peterson.
From the earliest days, Peterson kept up with his blamelessness.
Eiglarsh focuses to various radio transmissions, reconnaissance accounts, and meetings that appear to help Peterson’s adaptation of occasions. Assuming that the legal hearers accept him, Peterson will be vindicated.
Peterson originally became mindful that something was wrong at Stoneman Douglas on February 14, 2018, when Cruz started his frenzy on the main floor, guaranteeing 11 lives. Peterson expressed during the examination that he rushed to the scene after hearing reports of potential fireworks being released. Observation film shows him hitching a ride in a truck driven by grounds screen Andrew Medina.
When he showed up external the east access to the 1200 structure, Cruz had previously moved past the primary floor.
At 2:24 p.m., only two seconds earlier, Cruz discharged the shots that killed football trainer Aaron Feis at the open west entry on the ground floor. For somebody situated on the contrary side of the structure, the sound of gunfire might have exuded from anyplace — maybe the parking garage north of the structure or the 1300 structure only west of it. Peterson, in numerous meetings, incorporating one with the South Florida Sun Sentinel in 2021