Ballistics experts will conduct a reenactment of the 2018 Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, as part of a lawsuit accusing a sheriff’s deputy of failing to protect the victims. During the reenactment, up to 139 shots will be fired to capture the sound that the deputy, Scot Peterson, heard during the attack. The shooting, which resulted in 17 deaths and 17 injuries, sparked a nationwide movement for gun control.
Peterson, who worked for the Broward Sheriff’s Office and is also targeted in the lawsuit, claims that he didn’t hear all the shots and couldn’t determine their origin due to echoes. He approached the building’s door and drew his gun but then backed away and stood next to another building for 40 minutes, making radio calls. Peterson has stated that he would have entered the building if he knew the shooter’s location.
The families of the victims bringing the lawsuit argue that Peterson knew the shooter’s location but retreated out of cowardice and in violation of his duty to protect the victims. Peterson, 60, was acquitted of felony child neglect and other criminal charges in June, marking the first trial in the United States of a law enforcement officer for conduct during an on-campus shooting.
The reenactment will involve experts firing live ammunition from the same spots as the shooter, using an identical AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. The sound of the gunfire will be recorded to determine its loudness and direction. The school is currently closed for summer break, and no students or teachers will be present during the reenactment.
The families and wounded individuals involved in the lawsuit are seeking unspecified damages. The test has been allowed by Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips, but it has not been determined whether the recording will be played at trial. The defense is likely to oppose the attempt. The date for the trial has not yet been set.
The reenactment aims to disprove some of the statements made during Peterson’s criminal trial. Tony Montalto, president of Stand with Parkland, which represents most of the families, emphasized that Peterson’s acquittal of criminal charges does not absolve him of failing to act appropriately during the tragedy. Montalto’s 14-year-old daughter, Gina, was among those who died in the shooting.
Gunshot recordings are known to be sharper in person, and speakers are unable to reproduce the high-intensity, short-duration pop sound accurately. However, techniques may help determine the direction of the shots and demonstrate their loudness where Peterson was standing. The reenactment will shed light on whether the gunshots were as loud as expected or if the sealed building affected their volume.
Tamara Lave, a law professor at the University of Miami, explained that the reenactment does not have to be perfect but must be close enough to fairly and accurately depict what Peterson heard. Parkland has issued warnings to residents to prevent panic when they hear the gunshots and to help them mentally prepare. Eagles’ Haven, a community wellness center established after the shooting, will offer various programs on the day of the reenactment to support individuals affected by the tragedy.
Erika Felix, a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies community trauma after mass shootings, stated that the reenactment will evoke thoughts, feelings, emotions, and memories. Before the reenactment, two South Florida congressmen, Democrat Jared Moskowitz and Republican Mario Diaz-Balart, will lead colleagues from the School Safety and Security Caucus on a tour of the building, which has remained mostly untouched since the shooting. The building will be demolished by the Broward school district after the reenactment.
2) How does the argument that Peterson knew the shooter’s location but retreated out of cowardice and in violation of his duty to protect the victims align with the families’ and injured individuals’ pursuit of unspecified damages in the lawsuit
In a lawsuit concerning the Parkland massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, ballistics experts will conduct a reenactment of the tragic event. The reenactment aims to prove that a sheriff’s deputy, Scot Peterson, failed to protect the victims. During the reenactment, up to 139 shots will be fired to replicate the sound that Peterson heard during the attack.
The shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 17 individuals and injuries to 17 others, triggered a nationwide movement advocating for stricter gun control laws.
Peterson, who was employed by the Broward Sheriff’s Office and is also named in the lawsuit, claims that he did not hear all the shots and could not determine their origin due to echoes. He approached the building’s door, drew his weapon, but then retreated and stood near another building for 40 minutes, making radio calls. Peterson has stated that he would have entered the building if he knew the shooter’s location.
The families of the victims bringing the lawsuit argue that Peterson knew the shooter’s location but retreated out of cowardice and in violation of his duty to protect the victims. In June, Peterson, now 60 years old, was acquitted of felony child neglect and other criminal charges, marking the first trial in the United States of a law enforcement officer for conduct during an on-campus shooting.
During the reenactment, experts will fire live ammunition from the same spots as the shooter, using an identical AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. The sound of the gunfire will be recorded to determine its volume and direction. As the school is currently closed for summer break, no students or teachers will be present during the reenactment.
The families and injured individuals involved in the lawsuit are seeking unspecified damages. The test has been granted permission by Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips, although it remains undecided whether the recorded audio will be played during the trial. The defense is expected to contest the request. The trial date has yet to be scheduled.
This reenactment will hopefully shed light on the events and provide valuable insights for the ongoing lawsuit.
It’s important for experts to recreate the scene accurately in order to understand the dynamics of the tragedy and assess the deputy’s actions.