Scot Peterson did his best to protect students during a chaotic and confusing shooting in 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, his attorney said as the former school resource officer's defense continued Friday in Florida.
Peterson, 60, has pleaded not guilty to 11 counts, including seven of child neglect and three of culpable negligence, for his alleged inaction to stop the gunman at the campus in Parkland.
Peterson also faces one count of perjury for allegedly lying to investigators about the number of gunshots he heard after arriving at the scene, according to prosecutors.
Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said Friday he plans to rest his case Monday adding the trial is going very well.
"I am glad the world is getting to know what we've known for five years," he said. "The scene at the school was chaotic and my client did his best to secure it. Hundreds of people were there and were confused about where the shots were coming from."
The case highlights the expectations for officers responding to active shooters as the country faces a seemingly endless scourge of gun violence, with schools such as those in Parkland; Uvalde, Texas; and Newtown, Connecticut, etched in public memory as the scenes of some of the most devastating massacres.
Peterson, who retired as criticism of his alleged failure mounted, has maintained he did nothing wrong. Peterson has said he didn't enter the unfolding scene of carnage because he couldn't tell where the gunshots were coming from.
Prosecutors rested their case Wednesday, saying Peterson stayed outside a building at the high school while 17 people were killed and 17 others were wounded.
They say Peterson, who was the first officer on the scene, failed to follow his active-shooter training to minimize casualties during the six-minute attack.
He did not enter the building as shots were fired, according to surveillance video.
It is unclear if Peterson will take the stand.
The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder and was sentenced last year to life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury declined to unanimously recommend the death penalty.
