Sheriff 'sickened,' 'devastated' that armed resource officer 'never went in' during Florida high school shooting

Reuters/Thomas Baur

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is pictured in an aerial view in Parkland, Florida, U.S. February 15, 2018.

• The armed officer inside a Florida high school during last week's shooting has resigned after an investigation found he never entered the building as the shooting unfolded.
• Scot Peterson instead remained outside the building for four minutes, according to the Broward County sheriff.

The armed officer who was stationed at Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during last week's deadly shooting resigned Thursday after an investigation found he never entered the building where the massacre took place.

"I am devastated," Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said, The Miami Herald reported. "Sick to my stomach. He never went in."

The suspected gunman, Nikolas Cruz, allegedly gunned down 17 people at the school last Wednesday in a seven-minute hail of gunfire.

During that time, school resource officer Scot Peterson remained outside the building for four minutes. Israel had previously declined to give details, saying only that Peterson never encountered the gunman during the shooting.

Israel said surveillance footage showed that Peterson was in position and armed but never entered the building. He added that the video may never be released.