A police officer who was on obligation when a gunman opened hearth at a Florida highschool has gone on trial accused of failing to guard college students in the course of the 2018 mass capturing.

Scot Peterson may have confronted gunman Nikolas Cruz and prevented the deaths of six of the 17 individuals killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School 5 years in the past, prosecutor Steven Klinger informed jurors at Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.

The 60-year-old former sheriff’s officer, who retired and was fired retrospectively after the capturing, was charged in 2019 with 11 prison fees.

These embody seven counts of felony baby neglect for 4 college students killed and three wounded on the constructing’s third ground, three counts of culpable negligence for the adults shot on the identical ground, and considered one of perjury – prosecutors say he lied to investigators.

The fees carry a mixed most jail sentence of as much as 97 years.

Peterson arrived on the college together with his gun drawn 73 seconds earlier than Cruz reached the third ground, the courtroom heard.

After listening to the sound of gunfire, he took cowl as an alternative of coming into the three-storey constructing, the prosecutor informed jurors.

The officer had undergone coaching during which he was informed that he wanted to go towards the gunshots if there’s an energetic shooter as a result of every bullet fired is doubtlessly one other loss of life, Mr Klinger mentioned.

“He’s the lead security person at that school,” he mentioned.

“He is trained on active shooter scenarios; he is trained how to handle a situation where he is the only law enforcement person there to handle an active shooter.

“You’ve bought to get in there and you have to discover the shooter.”

Defending, Mark Eiglarsh said Peterson was unable to determine the source of the gunfire while he waited outside, and ridiculed the idea that he should be charged with child neglect, “as if he is a mom who fails to provide a toddler water or meals”.

“He did all the things that he presumably may with the restricted info that he had,” he informed the courtroom.

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It is extremely uncommon for legislation enforcement officers to be charged with failing to take motion or present care.

A jury final yr voted to spare the gunman, Cruz, from the loss of life penalty, as an alternative calling for life in prison with out the opportunity of parole.