Posted on 01/23/2025 6:52:31 AM PST by Red Badger
The wounded driver plans on suing. Newly released bodycam video shows the moment when a Jacksonville police officer shot a Florida man during a routine traffic stop. The cop was charged and reportedly terminated after the accidental shooting.
On Dec. 13, 2024, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office police officer S. Lowry conducted a routine traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Jason Arrington. The officer accused Arrington of driving through a red light, and Arrington disagreed.
Bodycam video shows Arrington being compliant during the traffic stop and informing Officer Lowry that he was armed with a gun.
"So what we're gonna do is — just for my safety and your safety — I'm gonna have you step out of the vehicle," the officer instructs Arrington. "And we're just gonna remove the pistol from you."
The officer continued, "Then we're gonna run your license and make sure everything is good, and then I'm gonna send you on your way."
Officer Lowry informs two other officers at the scene that the driver is "very compliant" and "he does have a pistol on him."
Police bodycam video shows Arrington exiting the vehicle and then placing his hands on the roof of his truck.
Officer Mindy Cardwell is seen on police bodycam video attempting to extract the gun holstered in Arrington's waistband.
"She tugged on the gun the first time, then she tugged again," Arrington explained before adding, "I don't know, she might have got nervous or whatever, and she pulled harder two more times, and that's when it discharged."
Suddenly, a gunshot is heard in the video, and Arrington is seen slumping down in pain.
Lowry can be heard screaming, "Holy s**t!"
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said in a statement, "While Officer Cardwell was attempting to remove the firearm, it discharged, striking Mr. Arrington in the leg."
The bullet hit Arrington in the upper thigh and went through his right side.
Bodycam video shows Officer Caldwell's finger on the trigger of Arrington's handgun as she removes it from his waistband.
Within seconds, blood is seen flowing down Arrington's leg, and he needs assistance from an officer to walk. Officer A. Weippert applies a tourniquet to Arrington's leg, and Arrington is seen grimacing in pain. The officer then cuts the pants off Arrington's leg to locate the gunshot wound.
Following the police shooting, Officer Lowry is heard whispering to himself: "Goddamn."
Lowry also is heard telling dispatch that the police shooting was a "negligent discharge."
In a late-December press conference, Arrington announced that he planned to sue over the officer-involved shooting.
“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, you know, 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," Arrington stated.
Arrington's attorney — Kay Harper Williams — stated, "Gun owners in this state should be able to carry their firearms without the fear of an officer pulling them over on the side of the road, then voluntarily disclosing they’re carrying a firearm, then being shot with their own weapon."
Williams said she believes Officer Caldwell "was not properly trained" and "certainly did not follow proper protocol."
Weeks after the incident, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released a memo spotlighting how police should conduct stops involving a citizen legally carrying a concealed firearm.
"The burden of proving an individual is not eligible to carry a concealed firearm falls on the investigating officer and is not an automatic presumption," the memo reads. "Unless an officer has articulable suspicion that the detained person presents a threat to the safety of citizens or officers or has knowledge that the detained person is ineligible to carry a concealed firearm, officers should not seize a firearm (i.e. remove it from holster, vehicle, pocket, bag, etc.) from someone lawfully carrying it."
Internal Affairs launched an investigation, and Cardwell was hit with a sustained charge of incompetence.
CBS News on Wednesday reported that Caldwell had been fired.
A week after the traffic stop, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office dismissed the traffic citation against Arrington.
You can watch police bodycam footage from all three of the officers involved in the shooting incident at the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office's official Facebook page, but it should be noted that the video is graphic.
Not every handgun has a manual safety. Many people prefer a concealed carry weapon to not have one. You still need to pull the trigger to fire those weapons, and if your finger isn’t on the trigger, it won’t just “go off.”
Egad. This is bad. Shooting the guy with his own gun while trying to extract it.
To be fair, it sounds dangerous trying to extract a handgun from a holster while the person is seated in his car. Nothing about that sounds safe.
But I guess that is how they have to do it? After all, I am guessing you wouldn’t want someone pulling it out with their own hand to give to the police officer.
But having someone else pull it out sounds more awkward and dangerous.
The guy sounds like he did everything right.
friggin women cops and fire fighters man....absolutely worthless.
Ah. I read further down where they said the officer doesn’t have to remove the holstered weapon. Officer didn’t know the procedures then.
Ugh.
They had no business disarming that man over a traffic stop. The cops instigated every minute of this and OWN it.
Why not just show the cop your permit, what's with the cop disarming this person????
She had two fingers inside the trigger guard and used them to pull his gun out of the holster.
For his safety..............🙄
AGGGGHHHHHH! It would be awkward under any circumstance even if there was some kind of valid reason to remove it, but doing it that way...!!!!
Crazy.
Move that Moron DEI hire to Former Pres Lady McBiden .
She loved her DEI .
I am absolutely going to check the law in my locality, because...I don't know what they are allowed to do.
No matter what, that sounds damned dangerous.
BS on your thinking.
The copchick defied the 2nd rule of firearms handling.
Cops are not necessarily the best trained. She is liable.
Oh good!!
Pause for that instant so I can close with you.
A firearm with an empty chamber is an expensive paperweight.
It’s an excessive liability if you cannot be the first to fight.
Nobody will pause their attack in order for you to arm yourself. Lose your fear of a loaded chamber.
I don’t go to places where I expect to have to quick draw. I walk at night in town and if I am about to be lynched, I will have the 2 seconds needed.
That's outdated. The training for quite some time has been to use tourniquets if it's arterial.
The risk of losing a limb has been overhyped. The training that said "you need to loosen the tourniquet every x minutes" has also been debunked.
Cop: "I just shot Marvin Arrington in the face leg!
The lesson from that scene, Always have an opinion.
“I think I’ll just take off the holster while driving.”
We have practiced that in Az forever. We either put it on the dash where they can see it before they walk up, or put it in the glovebox. It is not wise to keep it on your person, especially concealed. You are going to have to go through this very thing that happened here if you have it on your person when you get pulled over. Inform them and they will secure it during the detainment.
“Counting on a law enforcement officer to safely disarm you seems like a bad bet.”
Folks argue with me all the time about this, but I pull the clip and clear it so that it is already unloaded and secured for them before I stow it. Just takes a couple seconds to put the clip in and pull the slide if I need it. It removes the “loaded firearm” claim from the equation completely if there is a misunderstanding of some sort during detainment.
“The burden of proving an individual is not eligible to carry a concealed firearm falls on the investigating officer and is not an automatic presumption,” the memo reads. “Unless an officer has articulable suspicion that the detained person presents a threat to the safety of citizens or officers or has knowledge that the detained person is ineligible to carry a concealed firearm, officers should not seize a firearm (i.e. remove it from holster, vehicle, pocket, bag, etc.) from someone lawfully carrying it.”
Because this right here is NEVER EVER the case... You are ALWAYS guilty of being a lethal threat before you prove your innocence even if you are NOT armed... It is ALWAYS an automatic presumption and even one slightest wrong move can get you killed. Reaching for your wallet too fast can get you killed. If you are a lady reaching for your purse too fast can get you killed. They are far too jumpy because of this automatic presumption of guilt...
Well, there is your problem.
I believe that we should start requiring Air Rifle and pistol matches between HS JROTC. At least that will get the basics of firearm safety taught in schools.
She probably already got hired and is working for another agency in the state.
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