Florida Governor Firing Sheriff Scott Israel Over Parkland Shooting Response

Sheriff Scott Israel Image by Getty

By Alyssa Fisher January 11, 2019

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to suspend and then replace Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel over the public safety department’s response to the school shooting in Parkland last year, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

DeSantis will share the news Friday afternoon, sources told the Sun Sentinel. He’s likely to name former Coral Springs Police Sergeant Gregory Tony as the next sheriff.

“We have an event that we’re doing tomorrow,” DeSantis’ office said Thursday night. “The governor’s going to issue a statement on holding government officials accountable.”

Seventeen students and staff were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly a year ago. According to the Miami Herald, a state panel investigating the shooting found that sheriff’s deputies weren’t properly trained, and that they took cover to protect themselves instead of pursuing the shooter.

Tony is president of Blue Spear Solutions, a security company that specializes in active shooter and mass casualty training, according to the Herald.

Andrew Pollack, the father of Meadow Pollack, who died in the shooting, told Politico Florida that Tony, a friend, had retired as the “most-decorated sergeant” in Coral Springs.

Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher

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