Andrew Pollack, the grieving father whose daughter was one of 17 killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year, came face to face at last on Monday with two of the men he blames for failing to stop the massacre.
Andrew Medina, the former watchman criticized for his failure to call for a “code red” when Nikolas Cruz arrived on the high school campus, spent five and a half hours behind closed doors fielding questions about his actions on Feb. 14 last year, focusing on his failure to call a “code red” alert that would have immediately put the school on lockdown.
Also in the room was former Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, the school resource officer who stayed outside the building instead of moving to confront Cruz and eliminate the threat.
Both men are among the defendants in a negligence lawsuit brought by Pollack. Peterson will face questions of his own on Tuesday.
Medina and his attorney left their interview at 4:30 p.m. Both declined to comment.
Pollack made no effort to conceal his contempt for the defendants, calling them “sacks of turd” after spending hours sitting across from them.
Aside from icy looks, the men conducted themselves professionally, according to others in the room with them.
“In order to get accountability, this is what I have to do,” Pollack said. “He [Medina] contradicted himself many times. … This guy let [Cruz] walk in through the gate with a rifle bag — ‘I see crazy boy walking toward the school with his head down, beelining. He’s on a mission.’ — Now he comes in today like he’s got amnesia. He doesn’t remember saying that.”
As part of Pollack’s lawsuit, attorneys are entitled to question each defendant and other witnesses. Medina’s interview will be concluded at a later date. Peterson is scheduled to be questioned Tuesday.
While most interviews, formally called depositions, are taking place in law offices, Peterson and Medina are being questioned in the courthouse as a security precaution.
Medina and Pollack were last in each other’s presence earlier this month, when Pollack approached Medina at a youth baseball game in Parkland.
Pollack said he is dedicated to holding Medina, Peterson and others accountable for failing to stop Cruz.
Medina said Pollack put him in fear for his safety and wanted the judge to block Pollack from attending this week’s deposition, but the judge still let Pollack attend.
Late last year, Peterson also complained that some of Pollack’s online statements could be perceived as threats.
Broward Circuit Judge Patti Englander Henning ordered attorneys to hold depositions for Medina and Peterson in the courthouse, with deputies present.
rolmeda@SunSentinel.com, 954-356-4457, Twitter @SSCourts and @rolmeda