Jason Arrington, a Jacksonville, Florida resident, was stopped by police after he reportedly ran a red light on December 13, 2024. He pulled over, rolled down the windows, and waited for the officers to approach him. Officer Shaun Lowry greeted Arrington through the passenger window and asked him if he had anything “crazy” in his SUV.
Arrington was recorded on Lowry’s camera saying he had a gun, so for everyone’s safety, Lowry asked Arrington to step out of the vehicle so the gun could be removed from his person until the stop was over.
Arrington willingly complied and allowed Officers Mindy Cardwell and Austin Weippert to grab the weapon. Cardwell reached into Arrington’s pocket and grabbed the gun. Her doing so caused the weapon to fire, resulting in Arrington being shot, reported CBS.
“Oh s***, are you okay?” Weippert was heard asking after Arrington was shot. Cardwell was told to put the gun down, and Lowry radioed for help.
An internal investigation found Officer Cardwell “incompetent”
When the department investigated the incident by watching Cardwell’s body cam footage, they wrote the gun was “jerked” several times as it became lodged. Because it was stuck, she accidentally applied pressure to the trigger, causing the gun to fire.
The department fired Officer Cardwell, citing “incompetence.” It also sparked a training regimen to new officers on how to interact with those who are legally armed. In addition, officers aren’t required to seize a weapon from legally armed citizens.
Viewers thought the firing was justified
“She literally had her finger on the trigger when she pulled it out,” wrote a viewer on Inside Edition’s coverage video of the incident. “Her own body camera showed this. Definitely should be charged, just like any non-police officer would be.”
Someone else noted if Arrington decided to sue for being shot, he’d have an easy case.
“Dude just became an instant millionaire,” they wrote.
Another said Arrington was a different kind of strong.
“Bro is one strong guy. He took a bullet to the leg and didn’t scream, yell, or cry. Props to him.”
