‘Unspeakable’: Prosecutor Delivers Powerful Opening Statement In Parkland School Officer Trial 

Where is a trial like this for the Uvalde families??

I've never heard of any case even remotely like this going to trial. 🤔🤔🤔

I have a serious question. Why is it that in most cases, we have senior citizen, out of shape and retired officers filling the role of SRO's in our children's schools? Shouldn't it actually be the youngest, most fit and ready men on the force? Fresh out of combat possibly, (if mentally and emotionally cleared, etc.) but at least in his prime and ready for action. What role is more important? I mean what did we expect this old overweight elderly man to do in such a situation?

In a similar situation, a coach with no training whatsoever tackled and disarmed a shooter. Some people are cut for it ...

Imagine if a fireman at a burning house had the chance to go in and save people from dying but instead chose to wait outside and do nothing. Hundreds of NYC firefighters on 9/11 attempted to climb thousands of steps wearing all their gear to save people. Those men died as heroes. It was the job they signed up for but we will always remember and respect them for the heroes they were. Others who sign up for comparable jobs that could entail great personal risk chose to do nothing and then immediately resign rather than face accountability for their lack of action.

THIS ISN'T A PROSECUTOR IT'S A POLITICAL ACTIVIST

The Uvalde Texas coward cops should be in prison also.

Why don’t they wear microphones on a lapel? If they’re gonna walk around like that, I think they should.

I hate when the names of the deceased get butchered 😔

The carnage. Prayers to the victims and their families.

That was not a powerful opening statement

Reminds me of the sheriff in uvalde that said "oh if it was my kids you bet i would have went in there.

I talked with some high up people in law enforcement and let me tell you this guy is guilty of Not doing his job, he needs to sit in prison, instead he will be set free because it's hard to prosecute cops especially Scared Cops who run from trouble and just want everything to be ok......

Apparently people named Scott Peterson are real jerks.

There's no defence for this guy. What's the point of paying a police officer to be there if he's nothing more than a spectator? He's not a civilian - he doesn't get to use the excuse of not knowing how he would react . He was trained and armed and had a duty to do much more than hide. It doesn't matter if in the end he couldn't have saved anyone - he should have made an effort.

I would absolutely HATE to have the name Scott Peterson ...with a little research you will learn that those with this name do not have a very good track record..

The defense is currently giving a powerful opening statement too. Don't be unfair, Law and Crime. I don't see a conviction here just based on opening statements. But unlike most of you, my mind is open. I want to see evidence before I convict this man!

The prosecutor make me sleepy, hard to follow

Lmao, yeah right, grandpa is gonna go Rambo with is pistol. Whoever hired this guy needs to be answering the questions.

I thought that police departments had learned from the tragedy at Columbine High School that in the event of an active shooter situation time is of the essence to confront and stop the shooter. This disgusting level of cowardly and spineless behavior shown at Parkland and again at Uvalde is inexcusable. If you are a police officer and can't bring yourself to do your job in a situation like that; turn in your badge and gun and resign with whatever is left of your dignity. It's clear that Peterson was too concerned about his pension to care about doing his job.

insane he got off from this. So crazy.

Guy is a complete coward...he could have saved so many of those innocent children...

This situation is sad and I am sure the SRO was willing to protect the kids. Who knows what anyone would do in a moment like that. I always think about that like if I was in an active shooter situation I really don't know how I would react until I was in the moment. But I hope their is a fair case and justice is handled correctly however that may fall.

Why is it so low in volume

maybe select teachers with shooting skills should carry???

Many have asked why would he enter the school. The answer lies with the non-Coward County LEOs that entered while he and other Coward County LEOs watched from behind cover.

This is a ridiculous trial and should have never seen a court room.

That man innocent you think he prepared to take on a AR -15 , if that’s the case charge the people who gave him the gun

Question for the Prosecution, who's on trial here, the shooter or the School Resource Officer? I think if after every Shot the Prosecutor had called back to where the SRO was Standing it would have been more effective for me. He also really stumbled over the bit about the Purgery Charge if ya ask me. Didn't feel very confident in that one.

Must say I tend to think that this is a case where the state feels that someone has to pay. They can't go after the actual guilty party so instead go after someone that they can pin any blame on.

Even tho he was found not guilty he AINT INNOCENT. coward.

I believe I heard a few teachers testify that they had 40-60 students in their classrooms at the time of the shooting. I don’t know the dimensions of the classrooms and I wonder if it is possible to put that many students in a corner tightly enough to prevent a shooter from firing through a broken window in a locked door. I know that this does not change whether the deputy did or didn’t respond appropriately, but wonder if that could have been yet another systemic problem that I’ve heard testified to.

Terrible opening. He should be glad this is not evidence. He told the story of the shooter’s movements. There’s no summary of how the defendant supposedly could tell where any sounds were coming from.

Need to indict governors?

the overly dramatic pauses are not sitting well with jurors

I find it hard to believe that the sound of shooting could not be heard by the defendant. Not responding to sight of panic children running from the building, the sound of gunfire, is sickening. Peterson's inaction just doesn't make any sense, accept that it was an act of self-preservation, a decision he has to live with. Let's not forget, authorities were made aware of the killer's threats and history of bad conduct long before this incident and did nothing.

Isn’t the argument a good guy with a gun would stop a bad guy with a gun??? As much as I think these officers were negligent the end of the situation comes down to the shooter. These poor victims and their families have to hear again that if something was different their loved ones might be alive. It’s true torture.

The prosecutor looks to be wearing a concealable bullet proof vest

The Coward of Broward

Just starting to get into this case. He said when the alarm goes off they announce on loud speaker what to do.. such as fire drill. Why was it not announced active shooter? Why did teachers allow evacuation with no announcement? Seems like allowing evacuations causes chaos and could have possibly prevented this guy from doing his job. I am withholding judgment until I learn more. But if nothing else, I hope that lessons are learned from this.. Drills happen for a reason and communication is key. So wonder why it wasn't announced after alarm.

The judge looks like a mafia boss from GTA Miami.

Prosecutor is getting paid more for that speach than a cop for stepping in front of an AR.

I’m undecided on this I want to hear more evidence before I form a conclusion. It seems like prosecutorial over reach but they may have something damning. This all took place in just over 5 minutes, sounds obviously didn’t travel to other areas or buildings as kids didn’t hear the shots in other school buildings. I think even if peterson knew where shooter was and Went straight there he was very unlikely to change the outcome he had a handgun and shooter had a AR15. It’s like taking knuckles to a samurai sword ninja fight. It does puzzle me though why Peterson just waited under cover he was trained to respond proactively not stay in situ

Bring Judge Scherer back!

Judge doesn't look happy

Sounds like there just trying to find a scapegoat for there failures as a community as a whole to protect the school

Is it this video guys first day on the job 😂

This is actually weak.

He's not swat, and didn't have ak47. Looking for someone else to blame is despicable. Praying for Scot.

I have five children.If it was one of mine i would have expected him to DO SOMETHING!!.He isn't the shooter of course.I would give him a year in prison.When it counted he was a coward.

terrible persecutor... the defense will win the case.

Lmao people really out here arguing that having cowards in our police is a good thing. If you can’t do the job, don’t take the job. Our safety depends in large part on our police being competent, level-headed and yes, BRAVE enough to do their job. Your inaction as a police officer can cost people their lives in situations like a school shooting. Sorry, he deserves to be held accountable.

I'd like to see this prosecutor rush into an active shooter situation blind, with no information.

I don't think they're going to convict him. I hope they do. But they won't.

Are they gonna go after Uvalde officers too?

why does the judge look like he's antsy like he doesnt like how the lawyer is presenting? maybe just hemorrhoids

If this is "powerful," wait till they get a load of me. 💤

I dont know anything about this crime, nothing at all..I'll learn as the trial goes along..😮

In many trials opening statements go on and on far too long.

I can't believe they didn't put cruz to death. I think they should've put more time into seeking the dp for cruz instead of charging this guy. Im glad im not a cop you shoot someone ya get investigated on overreacting ya do what this dude did ya get charged. Its a no win situation fr. I think the worst they should've done is fire the dude but, then again whos to say how the new hire would react to this situation. There is no training that'd prepare one for this horrifying day. It's my opinion but, im right and your wrong if ya disagree. Good day

Supreme Court rule that police not responsible for your safety, only when your in custody.

Did they actually have the shooter

The prosecution case is weak. The defense attorney is awesome - he has given some great interviews, very persuasive, and you can actually hear him talking! I had not followed the shooter’s trial, but have been catching up a bit. It’s amazing how apparently no one could do much about an extremely scary and disruptive kid but after the fact they put this guy on trial. It’s frankly embarrassing!

I have no doubt he was a coward. But, criminal prosecution...not sure how I feel about it

With the type of weapon this cop had he would have been killed also no doubt. What he did was morally and ethically wrong however criminal charges? We see cops wait for backup to arrive in intense and serious situations all the time 🤷🏽‍♀️.

This wasn't a powerful opening as much as it was a boring opening. The prosecutor needs to cut to the chase.

Did he do his job?

Please he's a coward who didn't do his job. He stood outside while people died. What's the point of having armed police there if they do nothing. People advocating for gun ownership claim a good guy with a gun is the solution not gun control. This shows they're wrong like Evalde. He had a duty to respond. Funny how the unarmed monitors ran into the building. They seem to know where the shots are coming from.

Kinda a weak opening statement. Needed a little more pathos

17 lost 17 ingured prosecution it was that mad man shooting done this to those innocent children i rest my case as hes already locked up and yr trying this man now 😢for not doing his job i belive from what i here this man should not be tried theres more to this story and its only begon

he is not a man, he is a mouse

I just think this is added torture for the victims and their families. I mean this monster just had his way in the school. 6 minutes and this monster caused so much carnage and destruction. And than it just leaves and walks out like nothing happened. So now even with trained officers in the school they still can’t protect kids. I hate playing what if but who ol knows what would have happened if the shooter was confronted earlier?? There is a reason these mass shooters choose to use this type of weapon. In under 10 minutes 17 people were murdered and a lot were injured. If anything the SRO was negligent but the fault lies with the shooter. I mean why not charge the person who sold the shooter the weapon?? Why not sue the social media companies that did nothing when it was posting violent things and other things of concern?? There are a lot of links in the chain that led to this tragedy happening but in the end it comes down to the shooter who decided to carry out this heinous act of violence.

Horrible

Not sure why they’re prosecuting this, there is no chance they win this. Legally the defence is in great shape.

This is a difficult case, and unfortunately, I don't know how successful it will be for the prosecution. As much as we feel it is the duty of law enforcement is to "protect and serve", as is stated in their motto, case law states that law enforcement has a "duty to the public, but not to individual citizens". This stems from the Supreme Court in the case of "Town of Castle Rock, Colorado v. Gonzales (2005)" (warning: if you search for this case, it describes graphic events of physical violence towards children.) There are two exceptions to this, which are the "special relationship" and "state-created danger" exceptions - the state-created danger probably would not apply here because the defendant did not *create* the danger, just failed to take action. Regarding the "special relationship" exception, which is reserved for people who are in the custody of the state and held against their will, similar in kind to incarceration or confinement, one would think since this is a public school that's provided by the government, and children are mandated to go to school under truancy and similar laws, the police force - and this officer by extension - would be in a custodial relationship with the students of the school. Unfortunately, the law doesn't view school as similar in kind to incarceration, so this probably would not apply either. This is what happened with the civil lawsuit against this same officer, it was dismissed, and it cited the "Castle Rock" case (and DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services (1989)) (search warning for graphic events of physical violence towards children). I suppose it would be different in a criminal context, and perhaps the mentioned contract may play a role, but it seems unlikely. Unfortunately, in a case like this, it's not really about what we think the law *should be*, but what the law *is*.

To everyone who’s defending this guy, aren’t y’all the same people saying “the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun” ? Well here’s the “good guy” with a gun, and guess what he did? HE HID

This Prosecutor is fond of the sound of his own voice. What is he trying to accomplish with all this waffling. Just showing how much of the case he remembers.

He should at had opened the door and walk in but he decided not to risk his life , retirement was coming soon.Thats All Folks 👍 plus he is not a cop.

This Prosecutor is god awful…he cannot stay focused constantly stopping and starting!!! I can’t follow along…

When I first heard of this situation years ago, I didn't think much of it. There are big issues to consider like the fact that it's so easy to acquire a semi-automatic rifle, and at the time there was some public discussion about whether police are required to sacrifice themselves to protect others (they aren't). But hearing today how school resource officers are trained to go toward the shooting, I'm not sure it's excusable that Mr. Peterson parked himself where he did during the shooting and then stayed there for 40 minutes after the shooting stopped (according to the prosecutor). It's hard to believe that he wasn't aware which building was under assault considering how close he was. Not entering the building to investigate seems like a dereliction of duty. Of course if Mr. Peterson was armed with just a pistol and he tried to confront Mr. Cruz, the odds are that Mr. Peterson would be among the casualties himself. But if it was his sworn duty to at least try to move toward the gunfire and confront the shooter to the best of his ability, it already seems clear to me that he didn't do that, or his ability was far below what's required of police in those situations. I'm more sympathetic to the small town cops in Uvalde who were able to get close to the shooter but unable to attack him directly because of where he was positioned and how difficult it would have been for police to squeeze through the doors without getting themselves shot, likely creating a bottleneck of dead or injured cops in the doorways. It didn't surprise me that it took SWAT officers to get to the shooter in that specific situation, and a one-hour response time for something like that isn't actually unusual.

That officer didnt go in because u hired zelda rubenstein to defend a school.

The ultimate coward

He hid from the scene to protect his butt for retirement! Self-preservation! I think all cops get that way near the end before retirement! They don’t want to put themselves in harms way risking their life when they are about to retire soon! I don’t feel this case should have been brought to trial. What if he had ptsd and was scared? There are too many variables! Terrifying situation for anyone! I would set this guy free! His lack of actions likely didn’t change the outcome inside and that’s what I would want to know if I was a juror! Proof of that or set the guy free!

Praying for Scott

I agree that he’s a coward but with the exception of the killer, Scott is not the only one that failed the kids that sat

Those are my two dads. The judge and the prosecutor. At night they bring strange women home.

Go DEFENSE!

I am just over 30 minutes into this opening and I am yet to hear anything against Peterson, is all I have heard is the sad story of what Cruz did. This case is just a joke and should never have been bought to trial.

Bad speaker cannot hear half of what he is saying he is terrible and we want to know what all the defendent was NOT doing - his bad public speaking is irritating enough plus his content wow dude get yourself together

They wanted this man to go in blind, sacrifice his life absolute madness , when several officers did Exactly the same as him , pure scapegoating this man due to massive failures , Look at how and why this is happening , and this judge is heading down the same path as Judge Elizabeth , System is broke ,NOT GUILTY.

Shame on American, this man was scared to death

These charges were politically driven and should never have went to trial.

Another case of a man with a gun doing nothing. Just like Uvalde. He needs to go to jail. That was his only job to protect the students.

Don’t think much of this prosecutor

🟢 Its *literally* his job 🟢

This going to trial is a joke. 🤦‍♂️

lock the coward up.

Good afternoon 🌄🌉🌄🌉🌄 everyone

The Coward of Broward