US: Trump slams deputy who did not stop Florida shooter

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump on Monday ripped an armed sheriff’s deputy who did not thwart a tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, earlier this month.

At a meeting with state governors. Trump said Scot Peterson "choked" when confronted with the mass slaughter.

"Look, what he did in Broward where he thought he was probably a brave guy, but he wasn't a brave guy. Under pressure, he choked and other people choked. A lot of people choked in that case," he said.

He also criticized other sheriff's deputies who did not enter the school as the tragedy unfolded saying they "weren't exactly Medal of Honor winners.

"The way they performed was frankly disgusting," he said. "The way they performed was really a disgrace."

Trump insisted he believes he would have run into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School to stop the shooting even if he were not armed.

Trump doubled down on his proposal to arm qualified teachers, reiterating his claim that gun-free zones are a magnet for school shooters.

That proposal was panned by Washington state Governor Jay Inslee who said none of those who would be affected by the idea are receptive.

"We need a little less tweeting here and a little more listening," Inslee said. "Let's just take that off the table and move forward."

Visually perturbed, Trump sought to move the conversation along, telling Inslee: "We have a number of states right now that do that."