Thursday, a jury acquitted the Parkland school resource officer who had been charged with numerous crimes in the wake of the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
Former sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson faced 11 counts, including felony child neglect, culpable negligence, and perjury – charges that could have resulted in up to 95 years in prison.
Prosecutors argued that Peterson had not only failed to stop the shooting but fled the scene as 14 students and three staff members were murdered.
An internal investigation into the shooting confirmed that Peterson had retreated during the attack, but Peterson maintains that he could not determine the location of the shooter and went the wrong way.
Despite the ruling, many of the parents of the victims say Peterson is still responsible for what happened.
Peterson was fired from his position after the shooting.