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.
“Why not just show the cop your permit, what’s with the cop disarming this person???? “
Officer: “Do you have anything in here I need to worry about? Any guns, knives, or explosives?” (Yes they actually ask about explosives.)
You: “I am licensed carrier and have a firearm on me.”
Officer: “So what we’re gonna do is — just for my safety and your safety — I’m gonna have you step out of the vehicle and we’re just gonna remove the pistol from you. Then we’re gonna run your license and make sure everything is good, and then I’m gonna send you on your way.”
The interaction and investigation goes absolutely no further until THEY have that firearm secured period. No permits, no license, no registration nothing until that firearm is secured first once they know it is in the vehicle.
Florida resident here, also I have the concealed carry permit.
I’m no legal scholar, but I’m pretty sure 1) you don’t need a permit to conceal carry, and 2) you have no duty to announce you’re carrying a gun during a traffic stop. In Florida.
The poor man should have remained silent. JOOC, what was his ethnic background?
My pistol, a Kahr CW45, has no safety. It is Double Action-Only with a long trigger pull so I consider it to be as safe as a DA revolver... and safer than a Glock.
“I read further down where they said the officer doesn’t have to remove the holstered weapon. Officer didn’t know the procedures then.”
Actually right or wrong the officers did what they are ALL trained to do. Once you alert them to a firearm in the vehicle nothing goes any further at all until that firearm is secured and in their possession.
It is standard procedure because you are ALWAYS automatically guilty of being a cop killer until you prove your innocence.
And the “hits” just keep on coming for the JSO 😏
"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."
This appeared to be a routine traffic stop, and the guy didn't appear to have a record or be presenting any kind of threat.
I had considered moving back to Jax when I retire, but quickly dismissed that idea.............
And it will fire when you need it :)
Stay where you are my friend......I kick myself every day for not moving out of Duval as we had planned in 2019....not moving was undoubtedly THE worst decision I have made in the last 20 years.
I read that it was a Glock, but the way she was roughly fumbling with the gun, she could have disabled the safety while trying to get the gun out.
There are many problems with this crime, but the fundamental basis of it is the fetish for “officer safety”. EVERYONE will be safer when public servants accept that We the People are armed, and everybody needs to be polite and respectful. There’s absolutely no reason to disarm a citizen during a traffic stop.
And because of this stupid and unnecessary action, a citizen is severely wounded, a public servant justifiably lost her job, and the taxpayers will fork over a ton of money.
Didn't keep anybody safe, did it?
And their training is bad. Their training gets citizens killed.
But the Offizier got home safely at the end of the day, and that's all that matters.
Offizier Safety uber alles ...
Just hand them the ticket and say “Have a nice day!” and that’s it............
One of my sisters still lives there, one in Waycross and one near here in Panama City............
“”Unless an officer has articulable suspicion that the detained person presents a threat to the safety of citizens or officers.”
It is the same with asking for ID of someone walking down the street, or just riding as a passenger in the back seat. But they break that rule and do it EVERY TIME they like anyhow.
I’m fully aware of how they say it is “supposed to be”. But that is not how it actually plays out in the real world out on the street.
They violate their own protocols all the time under the color of “at the officer’s discretion”. Officer’s discretion is a HUGE loophole they use all the time to skirt the protocols and procedures.
They ALWAYS secure the firearm immediately before they will go any further with the stop. This is a universal National standard in EVERY department and agency. In fact at the officer’s discretion is so powerful they can override your personal request for a certain tow company to be called to tow your vehicle. They can claim that “at the officer’s discretion” only “this particular” tow company can “handle the job safely” and they call that one out against your will instead.
That is illegal collusion with a favored tow company friend. But there is nothing can be done about it because it was “at the officer’s discretion” and they are allowed to do it. I am in the tow business and they do this ALL THE TIME for their buddy tow companies.
Point is officer’s discretion is far far too open to interpretation and far far too much power. It is pretty much a blank check to break their own rules any time they like. And it WILL be held up in court 99% of the time even if it broke rules. That is the real world...
” And their training is bad. Their training gets citizens killed.
But the Offizier got home safely at the end of the day, and that’s all that matters.”
Unfortunately that is the reality. And it is no skin off their nose, just another days work and completely acceptable collateral damage. And it needs to be fixed.
I don’t thing that “blank check” is going to help her keep from getting fired here.
“I don’t thing that “blank check” is going to help her keep from getting fired here.”
Nope, but this is case actually very rare. Almost 100% of the time agencies back the officer and use “discretion” as the stay out of jail free card. And their union backs them !00% of the time without question.
This one is such a no brainer they couldn’t dodge it, or they would have absolutely tried.
It really is broken...
“For your own safety I need you to give me that gun so I can shoot you with it. This is standard police procedure.”
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