A police bodycam shows Jacksonville Officer Mindy Cardwell pulling a handgun from a driver's holster during a traffic stop on North Main Street. | Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
Published on January 21, 2025 at 2:08 pm
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The Jacksonville police officer whose actions caused a driver to get shot in the leg with his own holstered gun has been charged with incompetence, the Sheriff’s Office says.
The office said it has begun termination proceedings against Officer Mindy Cardwell.
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Internal Affairs began investigating Cardwell after she conducted a traffic stop on a sports utility vehicle that ran a red light Dec. 13 on North Main Street, police say.
Cardwell and two other officers were at the scene, according to police.
Investigators say one of the officers saw the vehicle’s steering column was damaged, leading him to suspect it had been stolen. The officer told driver Jason Arrington to get out of the vehicle after Arrington disclosed that he had a firearm.
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“What we’re going to do is, just for my safety and your safety, I’m going to have you step out,” one officer told Arrington, according to the officer’s bodycam video. “We’re just gonna remove the pistol from you, and then we are going to run your license and make sure everything’s good.”
Cardwell tried to remove the gun from a holster tucked inside Arrington’s waistband, but had difficulty, police say.
As she tugged, she unintentionally placed multiple fingers inside the gun’s trigger guard, causing it to fire, police say.
After the gun fired, someone yelled a curse. Arrington was seen beginning to slump against his SUV. He was taken to a hospital.
The Sheriff’s Office has updated policies on handling firearms during traffic stops since the shooting. A memo to officers Dec. 18 stated that the “mere fact” that someone is carrying a concealed firearm does not automatically mean that person poses a threat or is ineligible to carry the weapon.
“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.”
