In the statement, Peterson claimed he took up a position outside Building 12 after rushing over to respond to a report of firecrackers. He said that he was the first BSO deputy to dispatch on the radio that shots were being fired. He also claimed that he told a first-arriving Coral Springs officer that he “thought that the shots were coming from outside.
“Radio transmissions indicated that there were a gunshot victim in the area of the football field, which served to confirm Mr. Peterson’s belief that the shooter, or shooters, were outside,” according to the lawyer.
Peterson added that he had "the presence of mind" to have school officials locate the shooter using closed-circuit TV cameras.
Sheriff Israel’s statement is, at best, a gross oversimplification of the events that transported," the statement said.
The lawyer also criticized Israel for prematurely singling out Peterson, adding that the public should wait to see the results of the investigation.