Florida lawmakers call for suspension of Broward sheriff after Parkland massacre as he defends 'amazing leadership.'

Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel defended his leadership following the revelation that one of his deputies failed to engage the shooter who killed 17 people in a Florida high school on Feb. 14. (Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)
Republican state lawmakers in Florida called on Sunday for the suspension of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, accusing him of "incompetence and neglect of duty" in the months before the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran and 73 Republican colleagues urged Gov. Rick Scott (R) to suspend Israel, a Democrat who was reelected in 2016 and has said he would not resign over his agency's handling of one of the country's deadliest school shootings.

"Sheriff Israel failed to maintain a culture of alertness, vigilance and thoroughness amongst his deputies," Corcoran wrote in a letter released Sunday. "As a result of Sheriff Israel's failures, students and teachers died."

Israel said before the letter's release that the agency had stumbled in its handling of red flags about the accused shooter, including multiple warnings that he could carry out such an attack, but that he should not be held personally responsible.

"I can only take responsibility for what I knew about," Israel said Sunday morning in an interview on CNN's "State of the Union." "I've given amazing leadership to this agency."

The sheriff has faced intensifying questions about his office's response to the massacre after the revelation that an armed deputy on the scene did not enter the school while the shooter was inside. That deputy, Scot Peterson, retired last week after being suspended.

Israel said Sunday that he should not be faulted for Peterson's actions. "You don't measure a person's leadership by a deputy not going in," he said.

State Rep. Bill Hager (R-Boca Raton) sent a letter to Gov. Scott on Saturday accusing Israel of "neglect and incompetence" and calling for his removal. Israel said Sunday, "Of course I won't resign," adding that Hager's letter was "shameful" and "politically motivated."

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Sunday afternoon that it would launch an investigation, at Gov. Scott's request, into the shooting's law-enforcement response. Similar reviews have been put together after previous mass shootings, and they frequently identify ways law-enforcement agencies could have improved their actions before and during such attacks.

Sheriff Israel said in a statement Sunday that his agency welcomed the investigation and believed "in full transparency and accountability," adding, "This independent, outside review will ensure public confidence in the findings."

National Rifle Association spokeswoman Dana Loesch, speaking Sunday on ABC's "This Week," also accused the sheriff's office of "dereliction of duty" and said Israel should face increased scrutiny.

"I wish that as much attention were given to the Broward County sheriff and their abdication of duty as trying to blame 5 million innocent law-abiding gun owners all across the country for this," Loesch said. "I want to see as much attention on the Broward County sheriff, the FBI, the two FBI tips and the numerous calls. ... Families and neighbors called the Broward County Sheriff's Office to report this individual, and they did not follow up."

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David Hogg, a senior at the school, called Israel "a good man" during an interview on "This Week" and said "he cares about the people." But Hogg said there were breakdowns in procedures. "Were there mistakes made? Absolutely."

Local and federal authorities received numerous calls about the accused shooter, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, before the attack, including at least four suggesting that he could carry out a school shooting and a 911 call saying he had pointed a gun at someone.

Israel said Sunday that most of those tips were handled appropriately but that, in two of the calls, "we're not sure if deputies did everything they could have or should have."

When CNN host Jake Tapper asked Israel if he thought the shooting might not have happened if the agency had done things differently, Israel said, "If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, O.J. Simpson would still be in the record books." He added, "We understand everything wasn't done perfectly."

Israel also noted that he believed Peterson's inactions could have cost lives. "Do I believe if Scot Peterson went into that building, there was a chance he could have neutralized the killer and saved lives? Yes, I believe that," he said.

Israel said an internal investigation into the office's handling of the shooting is ongoing. "We will investigate every action of our deputies, of their supervisors," he said, "and if they did things wrong, I'll take care of business in a disciplinary matter, just like I did with Peterson."

During a six-minute rampage inside the Parkland high school, police say, Cruz fatally shot 17 students and faculty members before blending in with the fleeing teenagers and escaping the campus. He was taken into custody later that afternoon and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Police from the neighboring city of Coral Springs have said three other Broward deputies besides Peterson were waiting behind cars outside the school when they responded to the shooting. Israel said Sunday that only Peterson, then the school resource officer, was at the school during the shooting.


A spokeswoman for Israel's office, in a statement released late Saturday, insisted there was "no confirmation, at this time, other deputies did not enter the school when they should have." She said this claim continues to be investigated.

The Coral Springs police said in a statement that they were "aware of media reports" but were not going to comment because of the ongoing investigation.

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