Several Broward County deputies took cover in defensive positions outside of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School while Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people inside, according Coral Springs Police reports released Tuesday by the [Miami Herald](http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article209690164.html).
The reports reveal several BSO deputies were literally hiding despite their training to confront active shooters.
“I was advised by an unknown BSO Deputy taking cover behind a tree, ‘he is on the third floor,'” Coral Springs police officer Bryan Wilkins wrote in his report recounting the incident after his arrival at the school on February 14.
“I saw approximately four Broward County Sheriff’s Office vehicles parked [on the road outside the school] … with their personnel taking up exterior positions behind their vehicles,” Wilkins recalled.
“I drove up just west of the campus building 1200, exited my vehicle, grabbed my AR-15 rifle and donned on my tactical/medical gear.”
That’s where he found another BSO cowering behind a tree.
Previously, Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel placed the blame on school cop Stoneman Douglas High School Resource Officer Scot Peterson for how the shooting was handled.
Israel criticized Peterson’s reaction to the shooting, saying he was “sick to my stomach” that Peterson waited outside of the building instead of entering to apprehend or eliminate the shooter.
But the new report suggests the problem goes much deeper than Peterson, who resigned, but remains under an internal affairs investigation.
Another Coral Springs cop, Sgt. Nick Mazzei, says he too ran passed several Broward deputies “taking positions outside the school” as he rushed in.
Coral Springs PD officers arrived to the scene after Broward deputies, who are now being criticized for being hesitant and failing to react.
By the time officer Wilkins was able to actually enter the building, Cruz had fled the scene and was able to escape due to a glitch in the school surveillance system.
But not before leaving 17 bodies in his wake.
Most of the discussion after the Parkland shooting has focused around gun control and hiring more cops in schools.
But some of the public is expressing their lack of faith in armed servants to protect them during future active shooter incidents.
“Cops are only good for beating up kids and hiding like piss pant panzies when active shooters are on the premises,” PINAC reader Keith Gasca replied to a story previously posted on our Facebook page.
Cruz was eventually arrested an hour later due to a 20-minute delay in school security footage, which allowed Cruz to escape as Coral Springs cops thought they were closing in on him.
“Dispatch advised that they were watching the shooter via cctv,” Coral Springs Sgt. Myers wrote in his recount of the tragedy.
“We were advised over the radio that the shooter was preparing to exit the east stairwell on the second floor … We prepared to engage the shooter on the second floor.”
But Cruz had already escaped and wouldn’t be arrested until an hour later.
“Our team transitioned to a rescue team and we evacuated every classroom on the second floor,” Myers recalled.
So far, only Peterson has faced ramifications for his actions that day.
Read all three reports from the scene below.
[Report 1](https://www.scribd.com/document/377332117/Coral-Springs-police-reports)
[Report 2](https://www.scribd.com/document/377332191/More-Coral-Springs-police-reports)
[Report 3](https://www.scribd.com/document/377332271/Emergency-responder-reports)
