Ex-Deputy Argues No Legal Duty to Confront Parkland Shooter

Scot Peterson's legal team seeks dismissal of lawsuit, citing police officers' lack of obligation to protect from third-party harm.

Scot Peterson, a former Florida sheriff’s deputy, is arguing that he had no legal duty to confront the gunman during the 2018 Parkland school shooting, according to his legal team.
Peterson's attorneys are asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the victims’ families and survivors, citing appellate court cases that say police officers don’t have a legal obligation to protect others from third-party harm.
Attorneys for the families and survivors argue that Peterson's actions both during and before the shooting fall outside the law’s protections because they were made in bad faith and with willful negligence.
Peterson was acquitted of criminal charges of child neglect in June, marking the first time a U.S. police officer had been charged with failing to act during a school shooting.
The trial is expected to start next year, if it goes forward.