Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel says he's not stepping down amid criticism of his department's response to the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Israel's declaration comes after a Florida state representative called on Gov. Rick Scott to remove Israel from his post for his deputies' "incomprehensible inaction" during the massacre.
An investigation "by Sheriff Israel will do nothing to bring back the 17 victims," Bill Hager said in a letter to the governor, referring to the students and teachers confessed shooter, Nikolas Cruz, killed.
"The Sheriff was or should have been aware of the threat Cruz presented to his community and chose to ignore it," Hager claims.
He's referring to a long history of warnings and tips to the sheriff's office over the past decade, including ones suggesting Cruz had fire arms and was planning a school shooting.
In his letter, Hager, a Republican, cites Florida statute 112.52, which he says gives Scott "removal authority for neglect of duty and incompetence."
Israel dismisses Hager's accusations, telling CNN's Jake Tapper, "Of course I won't resign"
"It was a shameful letter. It was politically-motivated. I never met that man. He doesn't know anything about me. And the letter was full of misinformation," Israel said on CNN's "State of the Union."
Hager's call for Israel's removal came after the armed school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, Deputy Scot Peterson, resigned Thursday following his suspension amid accusations he did nothing to stop the massacre.
Israel says Peterson never went into building where the shooter was firing at students, instead taking a position outside.
In a letter of response to the governor, Israel said he was proud of the work that many of his deputies and other agencies did the day of the shooting and that he was appalled by Hager's "need to engage in disingenuous political grandstanding, perhaps in the hope he will garner some headlines, at the expense of the truth."
He also said that Hager's letter "was riddled with factual errors, unsupported gossip, and falsehoods."
Deputy suspended
Israel made the decision to suspend Peterson -- who was armed and in uniform at the time of the shooting -- after interviewing the deputy and reviewing footage and witness statements, he said.
"What I saw was a deputy arrive at the west side of building 12, take up a position," Israel said of the video. "And he never went in."
Israel told reporters Peterson should have "[w]ent in. Addressed the killer. Killed the killer." Instead, the deputy waited outside for about four minutes.
During that time, Israel said, Peterson got on his radio and took a position where he could see the western entry of the building.
Other deputies may have also been outside school
Israel says his department is also looking into reports that at least three other Broward Sheriff's deputies didn't enter the school building during shooting.
Sources tell CNN the Coral Springs officers arrived at the scene and were surprised to find the three deputies behind their vehicles with their pistols drawn. None of them had gone into the school.
Israel says his department will investigate the Coral Springs officers' claims, but insists that "during this horrific attack, while this killer was inside the school, there was only one law enforcement person, period. And that was our former deputy Scot Peterson."
Israel says his department's investigation so far indicates the Coral Springs officers didn't arrive until about four minutes after Cruz had left the campus.
"At this point, we have no reason to believe anyone acted incorrectly or correctly. That's what an investigation is. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but nobody is entitled to their own set of facts," Israel says. "At this point, one deputy was remiss...and he's now no longer with this agency."
A report on what Coral Springs officers observed is expected next week. Sources caution that surveillance video is currently being reviewed and official accounts could ultimately differ from recollections of officers on the scene.
Sgt. Carla Kmiotek, public information officer for the Coral Springs Police Department, would not comment on the reports. "The Coral Springs Police Department will speak on behalf of our officers and their response in that incident," she said. " We will not speak on behalf of Broward Sheriff's deputies and their response to the incident."
"Our police department has continued to work alongside the Broward Sheriff's Office to assist in any investigation pertaining to this incident," the department said later in a statement. "The Coral Springs Police Department has a tremendous working relationship with the men and women of the Broward Sheriff's Office, and while we are being transparent through this investigation, everyone should respect the process."
'School shooter in the making': Missed opportunities
Israel is also under fire for what appear to be several missed opportunities to intervene before Cruz opened fire.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office says it received 23 calls related to Cruz or his brother in the past decade.
Two deputies have been placed on restricted duty pending an internal investigation on how they addressed the warnings, Israel says. Two calls in particular are under review: one from February 5, 2016, and another from November 30 of last year.
In the 2016 call, officers received information from a neighbor's son that Cruz planned to "shoot up" an unknown school. There was a picture of a "juvenile with guns" on Instagram, according to police records.
In that case, a deputy responded and determined Cruz had knives and a BB gun. The information was forwarded to a school resource officer, police records show.
In the report three months before the shooting, a caller warned that Cruz was collecting guns and knives and wanted to join the Army. The person who called in that November 2017 tip said Cruz was suicidal and could be a "school shooter in the making," according to police records.
The report said that officers at the time did not write a report on the tip. Cruz was no longer living at the listed Parkland address and lived in Lake Worth, Florida, according to police records. The deputy referred the caller to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
