The armed officer on duty at the Florida school where a shooter killed 17 people never went inside to engage the gunman and has been placed under investigation, police have announced.
The Valentine's Day shooting at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School by a gunman armed with an AR-15 style assault rifle reignited national debate over gun laws and school safety.
The school resource officer at the high school took up a position viewing the western entrance of the building that was under attack for more than 4 minutes, but "he never went in," Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel said at a news conference.
The officer, Scot Peterson, was suspended without pay and placed under investigation, then chose to resign, Israel said.
When asked what Peterson should have done, Israel said the deputy should have "went in, addressed the killer, killed the killer".
The sheriff said he was "devastated, sick to my stomach. There are no words. I mean these families lost their children. I've been to the funerals. I've been to the vigils. There are no words."
The suspect, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, was jailed on 17 counts of murder and admitted to the attack.
Politicians remain under pressure to tighten gun laws in response to the mass shooting.
Meanwhile, survivors vowed to continue their activism, including a March for Our Lives in Washington next month.
Australian Associated Press
