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Florida sheriff fires 2 more deputies over Parkland response

By Clyde Hughes
Vehicles of the Broward Sheriff's Office are parked in front of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on February 14, 2019 -- exactly one year after the attack that killed 17 students and teachers. File Photo by Gary Rothstein/UPI
Vehicles of the Broward Sheriff's Office are parked in front of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., on February 14, 2019 -- exactly one year after the attack that killed 17 students and teachers. File Photo by Gary Rothstein/UPI | License Photo

June 26 (UPI) -- South Florida investigators said Wednesday two more deputies have lost their jobs over the response to the 2018 shooting attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

In briefing reporters on an internal report, Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said deputies Edward Eason and Josh Stambaugh were fired Tuesday for "neglect of duty." He did not detail their actions or why they were dismissed, however. Their terminations raised the total number of officers fired over the shooting to four.

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Tony said three other deputies who were also investigated were not disciplined.

"As we conclude this final chapter ... in terms of this internal affairs investigation, we are now going to continue to move forward with fixing the issues that exist herein the agency in relation to training," he said.

Scot Peterson, the school's resource officer who was heavily criticized for his reluctance to enter the building during the gunfire on Feb. 14, 2018, and Sgt. Brian Miller, a first responder who hid behind his car, were previously terminated. Former MSD student Nikolas Cruz killed 17 people in the assault.

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Deputies Brian Goolsby, Michael Kratz and Arthur Perry were cleared in the investigation.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis fired Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel in January over the department's handling of the attack and named Tony, a former Coral Springs police sergeant, to replace him.

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