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Former Parkland School Resource Officer Scot Peterson Found Not Guilty on All Counts. Aired 3:30-4p ET

Aired June 29, 2023 - 15:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[15:30:00]

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Now for his part all along as this prosecution and the investigation was under way, what Peterson said is that he didn't react because he couldn't tell where the gunshots were coming from. Of course, at the end of the day, no one knows what was happening inside his head. I mean, I've been in situations where, yes, if you have gunfire particularly bouncing off buildings, you might not be able to direct yourself to that location.

But what prosecutors said is he didn't even stop to ask, you know, the fleeing students, what did you see? And again, as the person who was there on that day who could have responded, that's why this prosecution was brought because he did not act, prosecutors said.

But as, you know, we just learned for ourselves in this very dramatic reading there of the jury's verdict, not guilty on all counts.

Now of course, for the families of the survivors -- excuse me, for those who died that day at Parkland, this is obviously going to be something that's very difficult for them to move forward with. The person who was there, who, you know, was trained, who had that background, who could have reacted, did not act. But of course, this jury deciding that Peterson, of course, should not face any criminal liability for that.

Final point I will say is that although -- and again, this is going to give no comfort to the surviving family members of the Parkland victims. This was a case that reverberated across law enforcement circles around the country. Putting law enforcement essentially on notice to include, you know, school resource officers that if you fail to act, there are prosecutors out there who will attempt to bring charges. So, although, you know, Peterson obviously was found not guilty, you can imagine that there must have been some type of behavior change across the country putting these people on notice that if you're the person who gets paid to protect this building, to protect these people, and you fail to act, you may at the least face prosecution.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Yes, clearly an emotional day for families that have long felt that there was negligence and there is the potential for a precedent being set by that decision. Before we get to the legal ramifications of this, let's talk about what happened inside the courtroom. CNN's Carlos Suarez was there for us. Carlos, clearly a lot of emotion on both sides of this decision.

CARLOS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's exactly right, Boris. Several of the Parkland families have been in the courtroom on the 17th floor of the Broward County judicial complex since the very beginning of this case. We're talking about 2.5, nearly 3 weeks of testimony inside the courtroom. We saw some of the Parkland families shaking their heads in disbelief.

They were here just several months ago when the sentencing trial for the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas shooter took place and they were in the very same courtroom. And they found themselves again expressing displeasure with a verdict being issued, being handed down by this jury.

I can tell you having been in this courtroom since the jury got this case earlier this week, Peterson's defense attorney felt almost confident by the hour. Because he felt that the jury really had not taken too much time in probably deciding the child neglect charges. They felt going into the second and third day of deliberation that the jury really was spending a lot of time trying to figure out their verdict on the culpable negligence part of this trial.

One of the last things that the jury did hear was asked to review surveillance video from the day of that shooting. We're talking about six hours worth of surveillance video from all across the campus. And Peterson's attorney told me that what that told him was that the jury was trying to figure out exactly where Peterson was at the exact time that the shooter made his way inside of the 1200 building where the shooting took place.

And after that, which was about a day and a half worth of deliberations, we never heard from the jury again. They did not have any additional questions. The last thing they did, Boris, was ask to see that surveillance video. In fact, this afternoon we were told initially that we were being brought back into the courtroom because the jurors had another question. However, we're told that wasn't the case. Instead, they arrived at a verdict.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: All right. Thank you so much for that, Carlos, for giving us a sense of what happened inside of the courtroom.

I want to bring in now Manuel Oliver. He is the father of Parkland shooting victim Joaquin Oliver, known and beloved as Guac. Manuel, just give us your reaction here. Just to let viewers know as they follow this case. This officer found not guilty on 11 counts here but including count number three which was second-degree felony child neglect with bodily harm in respect to the death of your son. How are you reacting to what has happened today?

[15:35:00]

MANUEL OLIVER, FATHER OF PARKLAND SHOOTING VICTIM JOAQUIN "GUAC" OLIVER: It's another failure like the system did it again and again and again. I'm watching this in the video crying like a victim, he signed for a job that he did not deliver. Shame on him for that too. And I'm afraid that I'm not surprised, you know. We have a system that it's apparently -- it's planning to hurt us and it's a nonstop pain. Today's a bad day.

SANCHEZ: Manuel, forgive me for interrupting, if you wanted to continue.

OLIVER: No, go ahead.

SANCHEZ: I'm wondering if you could speak to Scot Peterson, what you would tell him, what message you would convey to him?

OLIVER: Well, that's not going to happen. I don't see -- I don't have a reason to speak to this person. Since day one I've been trying to make sure that everybody understands that there's 17 victims here, and only 17 victims. Some people were injured, and a whole community affected. That's it. And behind those persons that are suffering, there are people that are guilty of this. And Scot Peterson is part of that group.

Now that's why I said again the system failed Joaquin, my son, on one of the victims. The real victim, that I still cry every single day because I'm not going back home like Peterson will today to just celebrate he's free of any charge.

And by the way, this would have marked a precedent that many parents will celebrate if it was a contrary verdict. Because I have met with the fathers and mothers from Uvalde. Fathers and mothers that were trying to see how the police will maybe save their kids and they failed. So law enforcement is receiving a green light here, like a pass. This guy did not do what he was supposed to do. Now my son is dead because of him and other things.

But I will never speak to him, to answer your initial question. I don't have anything to tell him. I have thousands of people that I speak to every single day. So I'm going to concentrate on that.

KEILAR: As you said, he signed up for a job that he didn't do. And we have seen other shootings, so many other shootings, Manny, since Guac was killed and his classmates were killed, where we've seen different responses. In Uvalde where police, so many of them did not respond. Other shootings where they responded so quickly, and we saw how the casualties were minimized because of that.

What does it come down to then -- does it just come down to, you know, whoever happens to be the person responding that day? And actually, Manny, if you could listen with us, as well, we're going to listen now to Scot Peterson as he's leaving the courthouse.

SCOT PETERSON, FORMER PARKLAND SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER: We've got our life back after 4.5 years because of Mark. And being able to put the truth out of what happened. It's been an emotional roller coaster for so long, endless nights, you know -- you know, talking to Mark 1:00 in the morning. You know, trying to understand and learn this whole case. I mean, it's unbelievable. It was unbelievable.

But don't anybody ever forget this was a massacre on February 14th. Only person to blame was that monster. It wasn't any law enforcement, nobody on that scene from BCO, Coral Springs, everybody did the best they could. We did the best we could with the information we had. And God knows we wish we had more.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say to the families? Scot, I know it's emotional for them today too. But this obviously isn't the not the outcome they wanted. Do you have a response to --?

S. PETERSON: You know what I tell the families, I would love to talk to them. I have no -- no problem calling Mark saying, hey, we want to talk, we'd like to know everything, I'm there. I would have been there from day one. So my -- I'll always be there.

[15:40:00]

If they need to really know the truth of what occurred and not only my actions but what occurred, I'm there for them. I -- me and Lydia, we've mourned with them for 4.5 years. You know? I've seen some of these family members, and I'd love to have went over and hugged them and say, God, I'm sorry. But you know, I know that's maybe not what they're feeling at this point. Maybe now -- maybe they'll get a little understanding, but I'll be there for them. I'm there for them. How could I not?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What about the prosecution? What do you say to the prosecutors who brought this case?

S. PETERSON: I'll let Mark talk about that.

MARK EIGLARSH, SCOT PETERSON'S ATTORNEY: We are extremely -- we are extremely pleased with the outcome today. But understand something, this is not just a victory for Scot, it's a victory for every law enforcement officer in this country who does the best they can every single day. How dare prosecutors try to second guess the actions of honorable, decent police officers.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lydia, do you have something to say?

LYDIA PETERSON: You know, through this journey, I mean, Scot is my life, my heart, my soul. And people could never understand how we're doing it, and it's simple -- the Lord is my rock and my strength. And faith -- you walk by faith, and you never, ever, ever give up.

EIGLARSH: It's extremely important to understand how we got here. Former sheriff Scot Israel held a press conference without ever speaking to my client about what happened. From that, every one of us erroneously assumed that my client knew that kids were being killed in that building, and he just didn't go in. Well these jurors made it clear through their verdict that that couldn't be further from the truth. He did everything he could, and as a result of Sheriff Scot Israel's reckless, selfish, political actions, he had to endure four years -- four years of heartache and misery. No one should ever have to go through that.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scot, what's next for you? Are you going home to North Carolina, I imagine? What's next? S. PETERSON: I'm first going to go -- everybody who's in Broward

County and South Florida who supported me, I'm going to everyone's house. That for the last four years has had been saying, Scot, hang in there. I am giving everybody a hug, the biggest hug I can give. And then I'm going back home. Going back to the mountains.

L. PETERSON: And then we're going to the Vatican.

EIGLARSH: Tonight -- tonight we're celebrating.

S. PETERSON: Yup.

EIGLARSH: We're celebrating at my house not just a victory for Scot but the victory for all law enforcement officers --

S. PETERSON: Amen --

EIGLARSH: And that the system worked. It took a while. It was rough. It was not easy. But eventually these jurors got it right. And so, the system works. And we should all feel good that if you're falsely accused eventually -- at least in this instance -- they will get it right, they will make it right.

L. PETERSON: And thank you, jurors.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Peterson, you didn't take the stand, and I know from speaking to you and Mark over the last five years that that had to absolutely burn you alive. How did you convince him to not put you up there?

S. PETERSON: To be honest with you --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Or how did he convince you --

S. PETERSON: It was just a lot of back and forth. And at the end of the day, you know, Mark's my lawyer, you know, and he's -- he knew what was best. And I, you know, I was going to follow what Mark needed me to do.

EIGLARSH: When this case started -- so that we're clear -- he 100 percent wanted to take that stand. During this case, 100 percent, he needed to take that stand. That's what he was telling me, and I had to tell him no. They did not meet their burden, and they should never, ever look to him to prove the case. And I think that his words got out through the testimony. They knew his position two days after this. He said, I didn't know where the shots were coming from, and they could never prove otherwise because he didn't.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Scot, there are school resource officers right now at a national convention convening, they're paying attention to your case. What would you say to those officers who may have been nervously waiting along with you on the outcome?

S. PETERSON: I think they probably had a very legitimate concern because of this case regarding the issue with the caregivers. But to all school resource officers out there, SROs, we're police officers, and we're there at that school because we want to make a difference. We always have. That's why I had been a school resource officer for 28 years.

[15:45:00]

Because you do -- not only you know that you're a law enforcement officer, but you're there to make a difference. So for all these SROs not only in the state of Florida but nationally, maybe they can breathe easier knowing God forbid if they ever went through something like this, that hopefully the justice system, you know, will prevail for them, as well. But I would hope -- I would never want any law enforcement officer in this country to go through the last 4 1/2 years of what I went through.

EIGLARSH: I also -- I think it's very important to focus on the prosecutor's office in this case. They had access to the same facts that these jurors did. Every single deposition that I attended, they attended. They knew the facts in this case. Yet they persisted with this meritless prosecution. And so you got to ask yourselves, what's their motivation here? And if it's politics, which is clearly is, something needs to be done.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Congratulations.

S. PETERSON: Thank you.

EIGLARSH: Thank you all. You guys have been great.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you so much.

EIGLARSH: Thank you.

KEILAR: All right, I want to bring in Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin "Guac" Oliver, who was killed that day in the Parkland shooting. And Manny, you've been listening to that. He said that he would speak to any parents. You made it very clear you have no interest in speaking to former officer Peterson there. What did you think about what you heard?

OLIVER: These guys are celebrating today. He said he got his life back. They're going to the Vatican. They found the Lord. Apparently, their Lord is a different Lord than Joaquin's Lord. He decided to give this guy his life back which is not in any way, in any way comparable of losing your life. The attorney said it's been four years of pain. Tell me about that pain. Tell Patricia about that pain. You're celebrating today for every member of law enforcement, for every police officer, including the Uvalde ones, I guess.

So you know what, in addition to that, the fact that the conclusion of the attorney is that this is a political intention. This is not political, my friend. This is ethical. We have the opportunity to mark a precedent, to make a difference. And you, Mr. attorney, you're celebrating the fact that this person that obviously, obviously made a mistake and needs to be accountable, is now happy with his life.

In the meantime, 17 families in addition to any other officer from a school that had made mistakes since -- you all said at the beginning -- Parkland, a little more than five years ago, should be celebrating now. Well, I don't buy that. I don't preach that. I don't follow this. I think that the right thing to do, the manly thing to do, the honest thing to do is to walk out of that room quiet, be quiet. Mr. attorney and Scot Peterson keep your mouth shut. Get in your car and go to your perfect life. But don't cry in front of national tv, asking for us to be ashamed and to be, you know, to be concerned about your beautiful, perfect life. That's what I feel.

SANCHEZ: Manuel, we heard from Peterson directly saying, quote, we did the best we could. Tragically too many school resource officers and law enforcement officers find themselves in a situation where they're responding to a shooting at a school, at a movie theater, too many places in American life. And often the weapons that are being used by these shooters are military grade. And many of these officers find themselves under armed, you could say. In their statement they describe this as a victory for law enforcement officers who do the best they can.

[15:50:00]

If what Scot Peterson is saying he did was the best that he can, what should change here for school resource officers and other law enforcement officers so that more parents are not put in the situation that you've been put in?

OLIVER: Well, that's incredible, you know? Because you're right. This is the best they can. So this is what we -- and by the way, this is the only country that requires an officer or more in a school. Let's start by saying that. So the problem goes beyond the officer inside the school. And now probably where some people are preaching to bring more and more officers to every single school. Florida is a perfect example of how we're moving backwards in terms of getting things better.

So I also understand, and I want anybody -- and anyone that has seen what we've gone through in the last five years knows, that I'm not relying on an officer inside a school to keep the kids safe. I think that's a solution from a system that is already broken. And an industry that has so much power that they need to put their guns out there so someone like Nikolas Cruz could have legal access to an assault weapon, and ammunitions and not even a red flag came up there.

So yes, I understand that, too, but I did not sign for the job. I signed for this job. I'm here as an activist raising my voice, and I paid the price. A real life is gone. Joaquin cannot say today, oh, I'm going back to my life. He will never say that. You guys signed for that job, the one that you're doing, you're delivering. So anyone that decides to do something, it has to find ways to do it in a better way. Don't come to me and say we did the best. We were there too late. I'm sick of listening to that.

Who is working on the moments before what happened? Who allowed that killer to get into the school? Was that not your responsibility, also? This is not about not knowing where the shootings were coming from, my friend. A lot happened before that that is also your responsibility. Most important than anything, don't let this individual become a victim, because he's not.

KEILAR: Manny, where do you go from here?

OLIVER: That's a good question. I am going back to my daily activism. Actually, me and Patricia we're going to go on a national tour on Monday, starting Monday. We're going to visit 23 stops. We're going to Uvalde. Were going to Sante Fe were going to go to San Diego, LA, New York, Chicago. We're going to be with people, supporting people and feeling that support. We're not doing this for any political campaign, by the way. We're doing this because we feel it. We need to stay together. If the system and the nation and our lawmakers fail and they don't listen to us, we need to stay together and, you know what? Support each other. That's our plan. That's my next move. I'm closing this chapter. This is it. The same way I closed the last trial. Done. I have a hero in my life that requires me to keep him active. My son is an activist before being a victim. So I honor that and I will continue honoring that.

SCIUTTO: We're sharing an image of your son Joaquin Oliver -- known affectionally as Guac -- now with our viewers. Manuel, I want to follow up with what you just described as not pursuing this track of activism for a political campaign. You and I have spoken before about action on Capitol Hill, rather inaction. And obviously there's a presidential campaign that's underway right now. Someone who's running for president is the governor of Florida who oversaw some of the changes you're describing to gun laws in the Sunshine State. What is your message to lawmakers as we head into a presidential campaign season?

OLIVER: So there are two reasons for me to give interviews today. This is one. In the other one is the permitless carry in Florida that is right there. And Ron DeSantis made it possible. So that's a reality. We are not addressing the issue in any way.

[15:55:49]

At the same time that we're letting this guy run free, not being guilty for any of the charges, our state is allowing a permitless carry tomorrow. So it's only getting worse. What does that mean? Should I feel frustrated or should I just get on my school bus on Monday and start on tour around the nation with thousands of kids from different organizations, voters of tomorrow, march for our lives teaming up kids that are desperate for a better future. I stay with that. I have to do that.

So, yes, the political campaign which I think has made a lot of mistakes from Mr. DeSantis, it's very aggressive. There's a lot of hate in it. There's a lot of additional facilitating things to make sure that whoever hates anyone could also threat anyone. It's not a coincidence that someone that is rejecting immigration, rejecting gay rights, banning books, opening a permitless carry, all of these go together into fascism if you ask me. I don't think that's going to work to get anybody in the White House.

KEILAR: Manny, I will say you always -- I know this is an incredible disappointment to you today as we see this verdict reached in the trial of the school resource officer not guilty on all 11 charges. But you always channel the memory of your son Guac and you carry on. And we appreciate you speaking with us today in reacting to this as we share, yet again, another photo of him, one of the 17 victims that day. Manny. Thank you for being with us.

OLIVER: Thank you very much. It was a pleasure.

SANCHEZ: Again, the major breaking news this hour, Scot Peterson, the former school resource officer, who was on duty during the Parkland shooting acquitted, found not guilty of all charges.

Stay with CNN. We'll have the very latest on this and all of today's top stories.