Opening statements are expected to begin Wednesday in the trial of the school resource officer on duty at the time of the attack, Scot Peterson, who faces 10 charges, including seven counts of child neglect, for not confronting the gunman.
A conviction of a member of law enforcement for inaction during a mass shooting could have sweeping repercussions for policing in Florida and beyond, legal experts say.
Mr. Peterson faces a decades-long prison sentence on the accusation that he failed in his role as a caregiver for the students.
Mr. Peterson was the first officer on the scene, and by his own account he did not rush into Building 1200 at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, where the gunman killed 17 people and wounded 17 others.
He instead took cover in the stairway of an adjacent building, and has said he was unsure where the shots were coming from and feared that a sniper was firing from outside.
Persons:
Scot Peterson, Peterson, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas
Organizations:
Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School
Locations:
Parkland, Fla, Florida