Florida police officer fired after accidentally shooting driver with own gun during traffic stop

A Florida police officer was fired after she accidentally shot a driver with her own gun during a traffic stop.

Officer Shaun Lowry, of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, arrested driver Jason Arrington for running a red light around 5:10 p.m. on December 13, 2024, according to an internal affairs report shared by the sheriff’s office. Officers Mindy Cardwell and Austin Weippert assisted in the stop.

Arrington, who police described as “cooperative” during the stop, informed Lowry that he had a legal firearm on his body. He obeyed instructions to exit the vehicle, police said on social media.

Cardwell then went to remove the weapon, identified in internal cases reported as a Glock .45 semi-automatic pistol, from a holster on Arrington’s belt. According to the internal affairs report, Cardwell “put pressure on the trigger of the firearm, causing a bullet to be fired into Arrington’s right leg.”

Arrington told investigators that Cardwell “fired” the gun several times, causing it to discharge, according to the report. Cardwell told investigators the holster was tight and “wouldn’t come off” Arrington’s belt, and said she used her non-dominant hand to remove the gun.

𝐉𝐒𝐎 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝐉𝐒𝐎 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 On December 13, 2024, police officer S. Lowry conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by Jason Arrington for running a red light. Officers A. Weippert and M. Cardwell responded to assist with the traffic stop. Mr. Arrington, who was cooperative during the traffic stop, informed Officer Lowry that he was armed with a firearm. Officer Lowry ordered Mr. Arrington to exit his vehicle, and he cooperated. Officer Cardwell then attempted to remove the firearm from Mr. Arrington’s waist. As Officer Cardwell attempted to remove the firearm, it discharged, striking Mr. Arrington in the leg. The Internal Affairs investigation resulted in a sustained charge of incompetence against Officer Cardwell and JSO initiated termination proceedings against Officer Cardwell. In keeping with Sheriff Waters’ commitment to transparency, JSO is releasing body-worn camera footage of all three officers as well as a photograph of the damaged steering column. You can find the redacted internal affairs summary of the investigation into this incident at tinyurl.com/JSO-121324.

Posted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Police released body camera footage of the incident from all three officers. After the gun goes off, Lowry can be heard yelling “Holy shit!” and Weippert can be heard asking Arrington if he’s okay. Weippert and Lowry asked Cardwell to put the gun down, and the two men then radioed for help. Weippert can be seen helping Arrington to the side of the road and began applying a tourniquet. Blood can be seen on Arrington’s pant leg. Cardwell also helped provide first aid.

Arrington was transported to an area hospital in stable condition, according to the internal affairs report. He told investigators the injury made it more difficult to do his job, which he said involved operating equipment such as cranes and forklifts.

An internal investigation into Cardwell’s behavior has been launched. A charge of incompetence was filed against Cardwell and she was fired, police said.

Cardwell was “working off-duty” as part of the office’s group violence intervention initiative, according to the report. The initiative aims to reduce crime while fostering relations between law enforcement and the public, local media reported.

The incident prompted a new sheriff’s office policy on how to handle situations where a person is legally armed, according to the internal affairs report. Now, officers should not seize a gun if a person is carrying it legally, according to the report.