Police Officer Charged with 'Incompetence' After Accidentally Shooting Driver with His Own Gun

A traffic stop in Florida ended in catastrophe when a man was accidentally shot in the leg with his own gun.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released body cam footage of Jason Arrington’s arrest for running a red light on Dec. 13th, 2024. According to local news outlet newsforjax.com, Arrington was 39 years old at the time of the incident.

The video shows that after being pulled over, Arrington told Officer Shaun Lowry that he had a gun on him. Florida state law allows a person to carry a concealed weapon or firearm with a valid concealed weapons license or without a concealed weapons license, provided that the criteria for obtaining a license are met.

Lowry thanked him for his honesty and told him he would be required to exit his vehicle for “my safety [and] your safety.”

Arrington then gets out of the vehicle as Officers Austin Weippert and Mindy Cardwell stand beside the driver’s side door.

Weippert held onto Arrington as Cardwell attempted to remove the firearm from his waist.

“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 incident summary states.

Immediately after the gun goes off, the video shows Arrington being escorted to the side of the road as the officers call for backup.

In the minutes that follow, the officers attempt to help stop the bleeding before medical personnel arrive. Arrington was then taken to an area hospital in stable condition, per WCSC-TV.

Per Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, an internal affairs investigation resulted in a sustained charge of incompetence against Officer Cardwell. Termination proceedings for Officer Cardwell have begun.

In a press conference in late December, Arrington opened up about how the incident affected his life and announced his intent to sue.

“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.”

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“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,” he added.