Former Parkland school cop Scot Peterson, who allegedly fled shooting, found not guilty on all counts

Scot Peterson, the ex-Parkland resource officer accused of allegedly failing to confront the school shooter, has been found not guilty.

The former Parkland, Florida, resource officer accused of failing to confront the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter who killed 14 students and three staff members in 2018 has been found not guilty on all counts.

Scot Peterson, 60, was charged in 2019 with multiple counts of child neglect after an internal investigation found that he retreated while students were under attack. Prosecutors accused Peterson, a 30-year veteran of the Broward Sheriff's Office, of making a false statement, claiming that he did not hear gunshots.

PHOTO: Scot Peterson reacts to the verdict in the courtroom on June 29, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Scot Peterson reacts to the verdict in the courtroom on June 29, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
ABC News, POOL

Peterson could be seen sobbing with his head on the table after the verdicts were read by the judge.

PHOTO: Scot Peterson reacts to the verdict in the courtroom on June 29, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Scot Peterson reacts to the verdict in the courtroom on June 29, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
ABC News, POOL

Peterson, who was fired after the probe report was released, had pleaded not guilty.

MORE: Parkland officer accused of failing to confront school shooter faces trial

Kristen Gomes, an assistant state attorney at the Broward County State Attorney's Office, said during closing arguments that Peterson didn't do anything to search for the shooter and confront him.

"When the defendant ran, he left behind an unrestricted killer who spent the next four minutes and 15 seconds wandering the halls at his leisure. Because when Scot Peterson ran, he left them in a building with a predator unchecked," she said.

PHOTO: Former MSD School Resource Officer Scot Peterson sits at the defense table during closing arguments in his trial, June 26, 2023, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Former MSD School Resource Officer Scot Peterson sits at the defense table during closing arguments in his trial, June 26, 2023, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool

Mark Eiglarsh, Peterson's attorney, argued that his client was being made a "sacrificial lamb." Eiglarsh said in closing arguments that Peterson couldn't accurately detect where the gunshots came from and neither could several other students and teachers.

"This whole hearing-based prosecution is flawed and offensive," Eiglarsh said in front of the jurors. "He was damned no matter what."

MORE: Parkland school shooting 5 years later: Remembering the 17 victims

Peterson faced up to 95 years in state prison if convicted on all charges.

The gunman, Nikolas Cruz, a former student at the high school, was sentenced to life in prison last year after pleading guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News' Meredith Deliso contributed to this report.

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