JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released videos Tuesday showing the dramatic moments when a Jacksonville man was accidentally shot in the leg during a December traffic stop.
JSO’s social media post with the released video said an Internal Affairs investigation “resulted in a sustained charge of incompetence against Officer (Mindy) Caldwell” and that the department has begun the process of firing her.
Jason Arrington, who was 39 years old at the time of the accidental shooting, is suing JSO over the Dec. 13 incident on Main Street near 27th Street.
JSO said Arrington, who was stopped after running a red light, immediately let the officers who pulled him over know that he was carrying a pistol.
JSO later confirmed that Arrington was legally permitted to have the gun.
In the body camera video released Tuesday, Officer Shaun Lowry tells Arrington that they are going to have him step out of the car and remove his gun “for my safety and your safety.”
WARNING: The video below includes content some might find graphic. Viewer discretion is advised.
But when Officer M. Cardwell attempted to remove the gun from the holster in Arrington’s waistband, it went off.
“She tugged on the gun the first time, and then she tugged again,” Arrington said. “She pulled harder two more times, and that’s when the gun, it discharged.”
According to information released by JSO, “the firearm was secured in a holster and Officer Cardwell had difficulty removing it. When Officer Cardwell was finally able to remove the firearm from the holster, she unintentionally placed multiple fingers inside the trigger guard of the firearm, causing the firearm to discharge.”
The bullet struck Arrington in his upper thigh and came out his inner thigh on his right side.
Related Video: Gun unexpectedly fires while JSO officer tries to remove it from man’s waist during traffic stop, police say
The graphic video released by JSO shows Cardwell’s shocked reaction as someone yells “holy shi*!” after the gun fires.
The other officers tell Cardwell to put the gun down, and then they immediately call for paramedics, help Arrington onto the grass and administer a tourniquet to stop the bleeding in his leg.
The incident is shown from several angles on the body camera footage, including the work officers do before paramedics arrive to deal with Arrington’s wound.
Arrington said the gunshot wound left him with lasting physical impairments that affected his ability to work as a crane operator.
“It messed with me as far as me working and stuff,” Arrington said. “Certain things in my job I can’t do no more, perform, like getting up on equipment and stuff, different things. I have to get on top of trains and unload stuff, forklift, crane, whatever I have to do at my job. It’s kind of hard for me to do it. I can do it, but it’s challenging, like real bad.”
The body camera video clearly shows Arrington being compliant with officers, a fact that Lowry mentions on camera before he has Arrington step out of the vehicle.
“He’s very compliant,” Lowry says. “He does have a pistol on him, so we’re going to take him out from that side. We’ll remove the pistol, and we’ll go from there.”
Attorney Kay Harper Williams said they are pursuing legal action and said Arrington’s civil rights were violated. She added that Arrington was cooperating and posed no threat during the stop.
View the full press conference below.
Arrington’s injuries have led to ongoing physical therapy, emotional distress, and potential loss of income, he said. He has also begun seeing a mental health professional.
JSO has since updated its policies on handling firearms during traffic stops, but Arrington’s legal team argues that additional training and transparency are needed. They hope the case will lead to policy changes and prevent similar incidents in the future.
Earlier this month, News4JAX obtained a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office memo that was sent to patrol officers after the accidental shooting.
The first part of the memo addresses individuals carrying concealed firearms, especially after a new Florida gun law took effect last year that allows people to conceal-carry without a permit as long as they are legally allowed to have a firearm.
In the second section of the memo, it states that a person carrying a concealed firearm does not mean that person poses a threat or isn’t allowed to carry a concealed gun.
It also says that officers should not seize a detained person’s gun or remove it from a holster or vehicle without “articulable suspicion” that the person presents a threat to the safety of others, including the officer.
View the memorandum below:
