US EditionProsecutors have twice charged law enforcement officers for inaction during school shootings. Juries aren’t buying it.
Two high-profile school shooting officers were acquitted despite allegations they failed to follow active-shooter protocols, highlighting prosecution challenges, legal experts said.
- In recent years, juries acquitted Scot Peterson, former Broward County deputy, and Adrian Gonzales, former Uvalde schools police officer, of charges related to the 2018 Parkland and 2022 Uvalde school shootings.
- Since Columbine High School, 1999, policy requires officers to stop active shooters quickly, and in recent years prosecutors charged officers amid growing public pressure and political demands in smaller jurisdictions.
- Prosecutors argued Peterson took cover for more than 45 minutes while 17 people, including 14 students, were killed, but defenses said Peterson lacked equipment and Gonzales experienced 'tunnel vision' and aided evacuation.
- Legal experts say juries hesitate to second-guess officers under pressure, making convictions difficult, and warn acquittals may make prosecutors more hesitant, though future prosecutions likely continue.
- Pete Arredondo faces 10 felony charges and was the de facto on-scene commander who treated the gunman as barricaded, a role prosecutors say may strengthen their case.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Uvalde Police Officer Found Not Guilty: Everything to Know About His Trial
A former police officer was found not guilty of child endangerment after being accused of failing to take the appropriate action to protect the victims in a horrific shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead in May 2022. Us Weekly rounded up everything to know about the ex law enforcement officer and key moments from his trial. Who Is Adrian Gonzales? Adrian Gonzales, 52, is a former Uvalde police officer who respond…
Juries have twice acquitted police officers for inaction during school shootings
The acquittals of Scot Peterson in Parkland, Florida, and Adrian Gonzales in Uvalde, Texas, demonstrate how difficult it is to prosecute law enforcement officers and suggest many jurors do not regard hesitation during a school shooting as a crime, legal experts said.
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