Student to Stoneman Douglas officer: ‘You could have saved a lot of lives’

PARKLAND, FLA. (WSVN) - A student who was at school during the time of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas said he saw School Resource Deputy Scot Peterson sit by and do nothing.

Senior Brandon Huff rushed to the building where the shooting was taking place when he found out his girlfriend was inside.

“She texted me, ‘There is a shooter in the room. I love you,’ so I freaked out. I dropped everything in my hands,” Huff said.

Huff said he heard the gunshots when he arrived. He also said he saw deputy Peterson.

“The school resource officer was behind a stairwell wall, just standing there, and he had his gun drawn, and he was just pointing it at the building,” Huff said. “Shots started going off inside, and you could hear them going off over and over again.”

Huff said Coach Aaron Feis risked his life and ran inside to help, but he said Peterson didn’t move.

“He was pointing his gun at nothing. He was pointing his gun just at the building with kids in it, and he was just talking on the radio, and he never did anything for four minutes,” Huff said.

Huff said Peterson was behind a stairwell in an adjacent building during the shooting.

“He’s the only one with a gun,” Huff said. “He’s wearing a bullet proof vest, he has all that while school security guards, coaches were running in shielding kids — Coach Feis, Hixon were running in, shielding kids from bullets and losing their lives while he did nothing.”

7News tried talking to Peterson at his Boynton Beach home, but reporters were turned away by Palm Beach County deputies who were guarding his house.

When asked what would he say to Peterson, Huff responded: “You are despicable. You didn’t do your job. You were trained for this. You were armed. You had a bulletproof vest. You were protected more than anyone else who died, who lost their lives, and you did nothing. You froze. You got scared. You did nothing at all, and you could have saved a lot of lives.”

Seventeen people were killed and 14 others were injured in the Feb. 14 shooting.

Additional reports have also come to light noting three additional Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies may have also chose not to go into the school at the time of the shooting.