week all live this week in south Florida. Great to. Have you aboard this Sunday morning. I’m
glenna milberg. This week a
florida jury verdict for man in
his words, gave him his life
back, though it took the
collective breath for dozens of
others. The jury found former
school officer Scott Peterson
was not guilty of neglect for
failing to enter the 1200
building at Stoneman Douglas
High. A shooter was in the
process of killing those inside
. Apparently this was a first of
its kind case and the verdict
may make it the last of the
families living with profound
loss. Several Were there in the
gallery and shared and
heartbreaking reactions in the
moments that followed both the
verdict and Peterson and his
attorney cell operating their
win in front of them in that
hallway. The case highlighted
essential questions Bruce for
the last five years in the
layers of involved in that mass
murder the school resource
resource officer did not in but
Douglas high coach Hixon did go
in died a hero that day. Tom
Hixon is one of his sons with us
right today from his home in
Tampa. Tom is so great to see
you and thank you so much for
your time today. Thank you for
having me, Glenn. You were here
for sentencing of the shooter.
Actually spoke at the sentencing
phase. You were not here. You
were home for Scott Peterson’s
trial and the verdict. So what
what are your thoughts you
watched from Tampa? Yeah. I mean
, as you know, many of the other
and other people have said, you
know it’s just a continuation of
the of accountability that come
out of whole entire tragedy. You
know, especially in the case of
, you know, as a law officer,
you know, he knows every day
that he’s putting on that badge
go into work that he took oath
to put his life on line for
others. And fact that he refused
to do so based on the gray of
some policy and not even enter
the building to even the
situation like. The mention that
my dad did, you know, he heard
the gunshots. He ran in not
knowing what was going on either
for Peterson to neglect to do
that, I think was the precedent
for this case. So, you know,
you’re talking from heart and
you are saying what so many of
the families have said are those
who are very vocal. I of the
families who have shared
publicly across board. There is
just frustration and heartbreak
again and in your words you know
another lack of accountability.
However, the that charges the
actual legal charges of neglect
I think from the get go even the
prosecutors that that was going
to be a pretty climb. So can you
in your mind the legal process
just occurred from what the
decisions Peterson might have
made in moment that that really
have no legal standing. I mean,
obviously, I’m no legal myself.
But you like I mentioned, you
know, just in the earth and, the
duties of a law enforcement
officer. You know, as you you
mentioned or had the voice over
about protect and serve, you
know, that’s the motto of law
enforcement officer protect
right there. The first one. So
in the case of Scott to not go
and protect whether it’s
children whether the teachers
you know my father all the
students whoever might have been
you know it’s, it’s right there.
And he to do so. And I think
that is what set up the legal
precedent that he was neglecting
to protect these children as.
Well as the teachers within the
building how much did you the
trial at all I don’t want ask
you things that you might not
have seen but did you did you
actually watch the trial?
Honestly, I’ve followed up you
know, kind of at the end of the
day and, stuff is going on
reading articles, you know, to
me a watching this case. We kind
of felt that, you know, it
probably wasn’t going to go
anywhere. And You know, we just
weren’t trying get in that
mental space. And for myself
know, I have a now three month
old son that I’m kind focusing
on. It’s interesting, you said
you did not think it was
anywhere. Why why was that? I
mean, you know kind of been
prepared. You know, when they
when they brought the case up to
be completely transparent. But
you know we obviously wanted
something to happen but like we
said you we just we haven’t seen
accountability happen on pretty
any front since the entire legal
process or anything coming out
of this tragedy that has
happened. So you know some of us
our hopes weren’t very high to
begin with. You know, you are a
military family. You have served
this country. Your Dad served
the country. We learned to
collect so much more about him
than ever knew about him as a at
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
School. And I guess that’s kind
of human nature in a in a
post-mortem, we really honor and
appreciate what your dad has
done, not only the country, but
for the school. We learned so
much about what happened that
day in 2018. Not from the trials
that we but from the Marjory
Stoneman Public Service
Commission Public Safety
Commission excuse me, and, and
the investigations in and we
have video to see exactly what
transpired during the and after.
I’m not sure if we have that
video that we can air while we
right now but we learned that
through testimony that the
school personnel knew where the
shooter went in the door. There
were two safety safety patrol
officers and a golf cart who
picked Scott Peterson up when
all of this happened and took to
the 1200 building. And yet
during the trial, he said he was
unsure where shots were coming
from. Instead of going in the
door of the 1200 building, as
your dad did, we watched him not
open door, take cover, protect
himself. He was not wearing a
bullet proof vest. So all of
this is on video for us, the
jury to see. I to get your
perspective on a school resource
officer. On any given. Saying
that he just didn’t really know
in that moment almost like the
fog war he just didn’t know.
Yeah Mean like you said, you
know there was there ample
evidence of the fact that shots
were happening in the 1200
building, whether you knew which
floor shooter exactly was on at
the time, like you said, you
know, he had gotten calls,
they’d gotten reports. You know,
he knew my dad had probably ran
in at that point. You know, I
haven’t heard any of the radio
transmissions that might
transpired at point. But again,
you know, just as a law
enforcement officer, whether
it’s an SRO or any other cop or
, law enforcement officer, you
know, working in the you know,
you have to have a bias action
when something does happen. And
the fact that he burden had that
to even step foot in the
building, as you mentioned to
assess where the shooter was
because that’s information that
could have been relayed to Coral
Springs or any BSO officers who
had showed up so that way they
didn’t set up and sit outside as
well waiting to figure out what
was going on. You know the first
person on the scene as the first
law enforcement officer on the
scene he had to have that that
bias for action and that moral
and ethical responsibility
within himself to go in assess
that situation that way
hopefully prevent any loss of
life in. The hallway. Scott
Peterson said he would be happy
to sit down, talk with the
families. Would you have any
interest of that at this point?
Most likely not, especially us.
It’s probably going to be a
little bit more painful because
of the fact that my dad did know
Scott fairly well, you know, as
the campus and what Scott being
the SRO, you know, they had a
pretty relationship. So it
probably just be a little bit
too painful for us. I Hope it is
not too painful if I play when
we come back from this a little
bit about what he said in the
hallway because, I think people
will be really interested. Hear
what you think about reaction.
So if you can stay with us for a
couple of minutes and we will be
couple of minutes and we will be right back allow. We are back wi . Tom Hixson, whose dad, Chris
was one of the 17 victims that
day at Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High. Talking About the Scott
Peterson trial. Scott Peterson,
the former school resource
officer who did not go in, who
was as a criminal, who was this
week? Tom. Scott Peterson in the
hallway giving interviews very
emotional for him. Did not
testify during the trial in his
own defense I guess his attorney
thought he have to after the
prosecutors. But he did say a
lot in hallway and I would like
to just play a little clip for
anyone who didn’t see and we can
talk about that. Cut my life
back. We’ve got our life we’ve
got our life back two and a half
years, five and a half because
of Mark. It’s been an emotional
roller coaster for so long,
endless nights. Don’t anybody
ever forget this was a mass on
February 14th when we purchased
a blame which that monster. It
wasn’t any law enforcement know
what I tell the families. I
would love to talk to them. No
problem. They need to really
know the truth. What occurred.
And not only actions, but what
occurred there for them. Tom,
your thoughts. Yeah, I mean I
mean, he can say that he has his
life back. But you know
quarterback public opinion has
probably other things to say
about that. I mean he has to
live with the fact of what he
did or in fact did not do that
day. So legally he may have his
life back. I think, you know,
personally, emotionally, morally
think his his life is for the
most part over. No sense of his
attorney said something in the
whole way I’d like to run by
you. Not not a lot has been said
about and I was been very
curious as to what the family’s
thought about. He said. And this
is a quote I wrote it down
verbatim how dare prosecutors
try to second guess the actions
of honorable decent law
enforcement officers. Second
guessing the action of a law
enforcement officer. And for the
record we all are honorable
honorable, respectful. And we
honor our law enforcement
officers. But second guessing
anyone, a position of authority
is kind of part the democratic
process. I wonder what you think
about what his attorney said.
No. Yeah Mean that’s absolutely
the case. I mean, should
definitely be respect. And, you
know, given credit for the
profession that they chose enter
but they also like I said, they
need to understand the weight
comes with that and that
responsibility of putting on
that badge and that uniform
every day as a law enforcement
official so they’re not above
reproach just like military
veterans are not above we have
we can certainly our own
mistakes and we should be held
accountable for them and that
should spread out to every
aspect our society, regardless
of position. Are you are you on
a day to day basis you consider
I guess my question is am I’m
difficulty really finding the
words to ask this as very
respect fully as I want to I
want to know how much of the
layers of Negley that we now
know have occurred are you in
your thoughts day and maybe in
your actions every day from the
mists signals in the history of
the shooter or to frankly FBI
tips that nowhere and unlocked a
fence at Marjory Stoneman
Douglas Day. How much of these
layers negligence are top of
mind for you? I mean honestly
every single one of them really
does on us when we think about
what happened that day and you
know even if only one thing had
been different, you know, it
might changed the outcome in
substantial ways. So for the
fact that every single one of
the things happening just made
this tragedy much worse. So yeah
, that layering effect just
makes it so much, so much more
waiting on in our consciousness
and our thoughts, you know, just
thinking about our loved ones
who are lost and, you know, like
you said, you know, just even
going back to the very beginning
of, you know, just a culture
around firearm that, you know,
the shooter had. And, you know,
if you want get into it about,
you know, the direction country
is going in our culture about
firearm you know that really was
probably the catalyst but all
the layers and things that just
weren’t done properly really
just accelerated you know
essentially metaphorically the
fire of what happened and in
that whole way. Scott Peterson’s
team actually blamed former
Broward Sheriff’s, Broward
sheriff, former Broward Sheriff
Scott Israel who who actually a
lot of blame was suspended. The
governor lost his job over this
. But in that hallway, they
blamed Scott Israel for the
specter of using Tom Peterson a
Scott Peterson as a scapegoat.
That resonate with you with? Was
he a scapegoat actually it was
the when really get technical it
was the governor who who really
raised the issue of Scott Israel
and training and Scott
Peterson’s training and the fact
that all that led to it so does
that resonate with you at all. I
mean, it does I mean I don’t
think scapegoat is the right
word by any means. You know, you
can definitely blame the
organization itself of so on.
However conducted its training
and wrote a policy at that time
in 2018 and before. But I said
before, you know at the end the
day, you know, as a law
enforcement officer have that
responsibility to protect and
serve. You Have the moral and
ethical to act, you know,
whether it’s written in a policy
that you don’t have to act and
you’re protected legally from it
morally and ethically. You know,
as someone in that profession
have to act. You have to have
that bias for and you have to
have that initiative and you
have to go in and do. You can,
you know, in the sense that you
are willing to give your life in
this in this process and in this
. So in the short time we have
together what would look like to
you you honestly at this point I
really don’t know what else you
know we could really look for an
accountability. You know, we’ve
tried so many different avenues
at this point to accountability
from BSO, from FBI, from school
board, from individuals
themselves. And I mean, it’s it
just goes where it goes based on
the legal process. And I’m I’m
more than willing to accept what
the legal outcomes are. But I
just think these people who
failed definitely have to live
with that guilt every day of
knowing what their actions
caused and harm to others and
our families. Tom Hixson. We’ve
all you you and your family,
your mom who is a Broward School
member now, and all the families
doing their part to build a
legacy for of the families at
Douglas High. Thank so much for
being with us. Thank you. And
that’s all we can do is just