Friday, March 9, 2018

Monday, Judge Jeffrey Levenson issued the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BCO) and school board to release surveillance video documenting the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD) February 10th shooting in Parkland, Florida. The surveillance video are complimented by police radio recordings release on Friday consisting of indecision, incorrect descriptions, and overlapping transmissions.

Judge Levenson officiated the complaint comprised of CNN and local media outlets about the reluctant release of surveillance video during the armed assault. Only external video were requested and granted due to all victims resided inside Building 12, referred in the police audio as ‘1200’.

The 7 minute shooting claimed seventeen lives and injured seventeen allegedly committed by prime suspect Nikolas Cruz charged with 17 ct. of first degree capital murder and 17 ct. of attempted murder while changing his plea to ‘standing mute’. After Maranda Rights were stated to suspect Cruz, he confessed to officers he committed the shooting. Prosecutors have announced Tuesday afternoon they will be seeking the death penalty.

A second-by-second timeline was reconstructed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which includes the shooter, police officers, dispatchers, and medical response. A prominent individual of the BSO internal investigation is School Resource Officer (SRO) Scot Peterson whom is widely criticized as failing to confront the active shooter or enter Building 12.

The FBI’s timeline begins with suspect Cruz arriving at MSD at 14:19 local time by Uber with the AR-15 variant in a dark soft case and a backpack with additional 30 round magazines. Suspect Cruz is shown opening the soft case and and walking towards the east entrance. At 14:21, the assault begins as suspect Cruz enters Building 12.

At 14:22 the fire alarm was activated which triggering a school wide evacuation. SRO Peterson arrived at Building 12 at the same time. SRO Peterson first radio transmission about the incident was at 14:23, “Be advised we have possible, could be firecrackers. I think we have shots fired, possible shots fired —1200 building.”

Surveillance video shows SRO Peterson arrived at the southwest corner of Building 12 and retained a defensive position by his BSO issued vehicle. As officers arrived, SRO Peterson’s elevated voice said, “Get the school locked down, gentlemen!” SRO Peterson assessments remained unclear with, “All right… We also heard it’s by, inside the 1200,” at 14:25.

Upon announced hearing gun fire inside Building 12 police protocol requires an immediate breech and confront the shooter. According to investigators, suspect Cruz discharged his weapon at a hurricane resistant window for the sole reason of holding an elevated tactical position. When the window does not shatter, the assault ceases at 14:27 when the AR-15 variant and the remaining full magazines are discarded at the third floor stairwell.

As of 14:27 there was no clear description of the shooter or if the shooter was inside Building 12 of by the football fields where responding officers found a injured victim caught on a chainlink fence. A request for bolt cutters was issued and the dispatcher acknowledges the request. Suspect Cruz can be seen blending in with students fleeing Building 12 at 14:28-14:29.

SRO Peterson then gave an order, “stay at least 500 feet away at this point.” The dispatcher relayed that information, “Stay away from 12 and 1300 building.”

Coral Springs Officer Tim Burton announced the second and most accurate suspect description saying, “White male with ROTC Uniform Burgundy Shirt”. The description of the suspect matched Cruz’s appearance when apprehended. Officer Burton’s description origin is unknown since he arrived after suspect Cruz exited Building 12 at 14:29.

The New York Times interviewed Officer Burton describing SRO Peterson position, “seeking cover behind a concrete column leading to a stairwell,” at 14:29. A second prominent BSO internal investigation subject is the senior officer in charge of the response, BSO Capt. Jan Jordan, whom was first recorded at 14:31 asking, “Do we have a perimeter set up right now and everyone cleared out of the school?” Dispatcher responded, “That’s negative.”

Police radio channels had first responders talking over each other and relaying conflicting information. The dispatcher announced all nonessential traffic to go to bravo channel. Area fire department and ambulance personnel were confused by the situational status as they arrived at MSD. The medical response was delayed by police unable to declaring the area secure. Per policy, police must definitively declare the area secure before medical aid are allowed to enter, preventing active shooters from targeting medical personnel.

Building 12’s first breeched was a victim extraction by four Coral Springs Officers and two BSO Deputies according to a 14:32 police radio transmission. Building 12 was definitively cleared at 14:34 with a 10 officer breech of the east entrance and medical teams were deployed.

Suspect Cruz moved west across the MSD’s athletic fields crossing Holmberg Road’s bridge reappearing on a Walmart surveillance cameras less then a half mile away at 14:50 ordering a drink from the in-store Subway. Earlier, an officer requested civilian traffic stopped along Holmberg Rd., hampering additional officers entering from the northern housing developments and for the east using the Saw Grass Expressway.

Likely walking along Coral Ridge Dr. or through residential properties parallel to the road, suspect Cruz was spotted at a local McDonald’s at 15:01. Suspect Cruz was apprehended 15:41 approximately one mile from MSD. Casualties were not treated in or around Building 12, instead using school golf carts transporting victims for triage outside the hard parameter.

SRO Peterson resigned eight days later as Sheriff Scott Israel said he was, “devastated, sick to my stomach”. President Donald Trump addressed SRO Peterson by saying, “When it came time to get in there and do something, he didn’t have the courage, or something happened … He certainly did a poor job. That’s the case where somebody was outside, they are trained, they didn’t react properly under pressure or they were a coward.”

A statement made by SRO Peterson’s attorney, Joseph DiRuzzo III, February 26th says, “the allegations that Mr. Peterson was a coward and that his performance, under the circumstances, failed to meet the standards of police officers are patently untrue. Mr. Peterson is confident that his actions on that day were appropriate under the circumstances and that the video (together with the eye-witness testimony of those on the scene) will exonerate him of any sub-par performance.” According to Paterson, the shots came from outside and he took up a tactical position.

Since President Trump’s comments, former SRO Scot Peterson received a number of messages reiterating the coward sentiment and credible death threats, prompting police protection. The US FBI remains the lead investigative authorities, collaborating with other federal law enforcement agencies, the school district, local and county police, and state investigations. Former SRO Peterson has not been charged with any crime.

DiRuzzo, walked back the February 26th statement on Friday by addressing BSO policy saying, “BSO trains its officers that in the event of outdoor gunfire one is to seek cover and assess the situation in order to communicate what one observes with other law enforcement.”

The cover and assess-like tactic are proven ineffective with active shooters allowing suspects time preparing for police intervention and/or taking more casualties. This tactic involves a parameter hardening and a four person heavy weapons team in a Dimond formation seeking the perpetrator(s). Cover and assess-like tactics were scrutinized after the 49 minute attack on Columbine High School by Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, killing 15 and injuring 24 ultimately clearing the school 4 hours after the first shots. The policing policy of Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) replaced cover and assess-like policies nationwide. and meets the criteria for implementing IARD at MSD shooting.

[edit]