Parkland Surveillance Video Shows Officer Standing Outside During School Shooting

On Thursday, authorities released video surveillance footage showing the outside of the Parkland, Florida, high school where a teenage gunman opened fire, killing 17 people.

Citing "strong public interest," a Broward judge last week ordered public release of the four video clips from the surveillance system at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The clips do not show the massacre and carnage inside Building 12, but they do depict police response outside the campus.

The ruling to release the videos last week stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the Miami Herald, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and other media outlets against Broward Sheriff's office and the school district, seeking release of the video clips so that the public can "be given the first-hand opportunity to review and evaluate the video and the actions of its government officials."

The office initially denied release of the video, but authorities changed course and agreed the footage should be made public during a hearing. The Broward State Attorney's Office asked it be kept secret, but decided against appealing the judge's ruling.

The footage provides further insight into the actions or inactions of the Broward Sheriff's Office during the attack on Feb. 14 inside the high school, which has been the focus of national criticism.

When gunfire broke out inside the Parkland campus building, school resource deputy Scot Peterson arrived within minutes, but took up a position outside and never entered the building to engage confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz.

Broward Sheriff Scott Israel publicly condemned the cowardice actions of Peterson, who resigned but has insisted he followed his training. The longtime campus officer said through his lawyer that he believed the gunfire was coming from outside Building 12, which is why he remained outside during the attack. Police radio dispatches, however, suggest Peterson knew gunfire was happening inside and he even ordered fellow cops to stay away.

"Do not approach the 12 or 1300 building, stay at least 500 feet away," Peterson said over the radio, the Miami Herald reports.

Peterson's actions, as well as the Sheriff Department's response, are currently under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old confessed shooter Cruz, a former student of Stoneman Douglas, was arraigned on Wednesday on a 34-count indictment including premeditated murder in the first degree and attempted murder in the first degree.

Cruz's lawyers said the defendant "stands mute" on a plea so Judge Elizabeth Scherer entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf. The defense lawyers reiterated during the court session that should the prosecution drop its intent to seek the death penalty, Cruz would agree to plead guilty on all charges.

The next court date in Cruz's case is set for Friday, April 27.