Trial of Florida deputy accused of failing to stop Parkland school shooter reaches final day

The trial for the Florida deputy charged with negligence in connection with his efforts in 2018 to apprehend the shooter who killed 17 people at a Parkland, Florida, high school reaches closing arguments Monday. 

Prosecutors and the defense for Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson argued throughout the two-week trial over what Peterson saw, heard and knew on February 14, 2018 throughout the six-minute attack inside a classroom building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Peterson is being charged on seven counts including felony-level child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury related to the events of the day.

The charges against Peterson have to do with the six people gunman Nikolas Cruz fatally shot on the third floor of the school building, which prosecutors say he could have stopped.

Peterson's defense claims the defendant did not go into the building to stop the shooter because he thought the shooter was outside.

Prosecutors say Peterson knew that the shots were coming from inside the building and did not enter out of fear or some other factor.

During their case, prosecutors have called upon students, teachers and other law enforcement officers to testify about the tragedy and their knowledge of where Cruz was. 

The defense also called witnesses giving testimony of the uncertainty of the shots' origin, in addition to Peterson's maintaining that he could not tell where the shots being fired came from due to echoes. 

If convicted on all of the charges, Peterson faces nearly 100 years in prison, but because of his clean record, the maximum sentence would not likely be given.

Cruz received 34 consecutive life sentences because the jury could not decide on the death penalty.

No officer involved in a school shooting has been tried for a failure to protect the victims before Peterson.