Parkland Victim's Parent Calls Peterson's Excuse "A Very Poor Explanation"
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PARKLAND (CBSMiami) – Former Broward Sheriff's Office deputy Scot Peterson is telling his side of the story.
The former school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas gave an interview on NBC's Today show.
He is explaining why he didn't take on the shooter behind the Valentine's Day massacre at the Parkland school.
"Those were my kids in there," Peterson said. "I never would have never sat there and let my kids get slaughtered, never."
The parents of murdered student Joaquin Oliver are taking exception to Peterson calling the massacred students "his kids."
"When this guy refers to the kids as 'his kids,' that is not true. Those are our kids," said Manuel Oliver with his wife standing next to him. "And they're always going to be our kids."
Peterson is defending himself from claims he was a coward after surveillance video shows him staying outside the 1200 building and not racing in to stop the gunfire.
The initial call said it could be firecrackers or that possibly shots were coming from the football field.
"Those shots that I heard," Peterson explained, "I was like immediately, I thought they were outside. I didn't know where they were coming from. If they were coming from the 1200 building."
Then there are several radio transmissions where he refers to the 1200 building.
"In my mind, I'm thinking to myself, I'm thinking there's possibly someone up in there shooting out but I didn't think they were shooting at the kids," he said "I thought they were shooting out at the building."
Oliver responds, "We saw you outside the building. The shootings were inside the building, where the students were by the way, where Joaquin was. That is a very poor explanation, poor excuse."
The Oliver's say Peterson's explanation did not change their minds about what happened that day.
"I think the story needs to stay with the actual victims, which is my son and the other 16," Oliver said. "I don't want this person [Peterson] to become a victim. I don't think it's fair. I think he failed in what he was meant to do that day."