Photo credit: News 7 Miami

When you think of how things may have been different if an armed law enforcement officer was stationed at Parkland high school, you may want to think again.

It turns out Broward County Sheriff’s deputy Scot Peterson was assigned as Parkland high schools resource officer and was at the school when Nikolas Cruz, 19, killed 17 people and wounded 14 others in a six-minute period filled with gunsmoke, screams, and violence.

Peterson resigned Thursday after surveillance video showed he never entered the school even though he "clearly" knew there was a shooting taking place. Peterson neglected his duty as the school's resource officer and as a public servant when he remained outside while over a dozen students were brutally gunned down inside.

Sheriff Scott Israel of Broward County Sheriff’s office said in a news conference Thursday that video showed Peterson arriving at the west side of the high school where the shooting took place and took up a position but "never went in."

Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/19018-Parkland-Florida-Trump-Proposes-Arming-Teachers">Parkland, Florida – Trump Proposes Arming Teachers</a>

Israel confirmed Peterson "was absolutely on campus through this entire event" and despite being armed and in uniform he remained outside the building and never fired his weapon. The sheriff went on to say he was "devastated. Sick to my stomach. There are no words."

"What matters is that when we, in law enforcement, arrive at an active shooter, we go in and address the target," Israel said. "And that’s what should’ve been done." When reporters from local news attempted to reach out to Peterson for comment at his home in Boynton Beach they were met by six armed deputies guarding his home.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We sent <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianEntin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BrianEntin</a> to BSO Deputy Scot Peterson’s Boynton Beach home to try and talk to him about his resignation today. Were met by 6 <a href="https://twitter.com/PBCountySheriff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PBCountySheriff</a> deputies standing guard outside his home. They prevented us from approaching the house. <a href="https://t.co/1QPlmeHtqb">pic.twitter.com/1QPlmeHtqb</a></p>— Frank Guzman (@fguzmanon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/fguzmanon7/status/966825501846274048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 23, 2018</a></blockquote>

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Why is it when children's lives are at stake the sheriffs failed to protect them, yet when it comes to protecting one of their own then security is paramount? Israel also confirmed Peterson was suspended without pay pending an internal investigation but he had already resigned.

Related coverage: <a href="https://thegoldwater.com/news/18913-Parkland-Shooting-Nikolas-Cruz-FBI-Failures-Fake-News-Gun-Control-and-MK-Ultra">Parkland Shooting: Nikolas Cruz, FBI Failures, Fake News, Gun Control, and MK Ultra</a>

To make matters worse, in February 2016, the sheriff's office received a call from someone who was concerned Cruz "planned to shoot up the school." That information was forwarded to the Stoneman Douglas resource officer who appears to have been none other than Peterson himself.

Peterson was directly warned a year in advance that Cruz was a threat, yet he was allowed to walk right onto the campus and murder freely. Cruz encountered no resistance other than a brave student who attempted to hold a classroom door closed and was shot several times for it, and a teacher who was shot to death while trying to take Cruz down with his bare hands.

A union official named Jim Bell spoke on Peterson's behalf saying, "He believed he did a good job calling in the location, setting up the perimeter and calling in the description (of Cruz)."

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">MUST WATCH: Andrew Pollack father of slain teen Meadow Pollack, speaks his heart! Says he’s pissed, he’s angry, he doesn’t want to even deal with the gun issue right now! He just wants to secure our schools NOW! <a href="https://t.co/aUYWqiLNBD">pic.twitter.com/aUYWqiLNBD</a></p>— GITMO 🇺🇸 (@President1Trump) <a href="https://twitter.com/President1Trump/status/966443038863224834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 21, 2018</a></blockquote>

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A father met with President Trump and his administration Thursday to discuss protecting schools the same way airports, banks, and stadiums are protected. He spoke with a clarity and conviction that only a parent who just buried their child could have.

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Source: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/23/police-officers-guard-home-deputy-assigned-to-florida-hs-who-never-went-in-during-shooting-report.html