In Parkland, Florida, four deputies hid outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School while the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 people was underway inside, according to newly release police reports.
An officer report released Tuesday by the Coral Springs Police Department said Broward Sheriff's Office deputies were taking cover behind their vehicles and a tree when officer Bryan Wilkins arrived on the scene, the Miami Herald reported.
"I was advised by an unknown BSO Deputy taking cover behind a tree, 'he is on the third floor,'" Wilkins wrote in the report. Coral Springs Sgt. Nick Mazzei also confirmed BSO officers were waiting outside when he arrived and rushed past them, the Herald said.
Deputy Scot Peterson, the school's resource officer, resigned after it was revealed that he didn't enter the building when the shooting began. He is the subject of an ongoing internal affairs investigation.
Reports released Tuesday shed new light on the response of law enforcement, which has drawn heavy criticism, and suggest multiple officers failed to confront the shooter.
Wilkins wrote that about four BSO vehicles were parked at the school when he arrived, Fox News reported.
Another report by Coral Springs Officer Scott Myers said police were told the shooter was being watched on surveillance video, and they were preparing to engage him on the second floor of the building before being informed there was an unknown delay in the footage and the suspect had already left the building, Fox News said.
"Our team transitioned to a rescue team and we evacuated every classroom on the second floor," Myers wrote, according to Fox News.
Other safety issues revealed Tuesday include that teachers couldn't lock their doors from the inside of their classrooms; the doors had small windows allowing the shooter to fire into locked classrooms; and Broward Sheriff's Office radios were not on the same channel as Coral Springs Police radios, which slowed communication between the agencies, Fox News said.
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