Vern Evans
In many states, the law requires that if you are stopped by law enforcement during a traffic stop, you must inform the officer that you have a concealed firearm in the vehicle. These laws are seemingly put in place for the safety of officers, although it seems unlikely that anyone intending to shoot an officer would actually disclose their weapon; rather, only law-abiding citizens would do so.
A problem arises, however, when the officer initiating the stop does not know how to safely handle a firearm. That’s exactly what occurred on December 13 in Jacksonville, Florida, and now the officer has been terminated. Here’s what transpired.
According to a report in the Miami Herald, a male officer and Officer Mindy Cardwell, both from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, stopped a driver for an alleged red light violation. The 40-year-old man driving the car claimed that the light was yellow as he went through the intersection.
According to the Herald report, the male officer asked the driver if he had anything “crazy” in the car, to which the driver replied that he had a firearm on him. The officer then informed his colleague that the driver had a pistol but was being “very compliant.” They then asked him to exit the car as they planned to disarm him.
After the man stepped out of the vehicle and informed the officer that his pistol was holstered on his side, he was instructed to place his hands on top of the SUV. It was then that Officer Cardwell attempted to remove the pistol from its holster.
When the gun wouldn’t come out of the holster easily, Officer Cardwell began to pull on it in an attempt to take possession. During this process, she inadvertently shot the man in the leg, and after securing his gun, the officers immediately started first aid by applying a tourniquet until first responders arrived. He was then taken to the hospital in stable condition.
According to the Herald report, Officer Cardwell stated in an interview with internal affairs investigators that her finger accidentally slipped into the triggerguard of the gun while she was using her non-dominant hand to remove it.
“Unfortunately combined with the holster and the pants, it just was not coming out freely,” Officer Cardwell said, according to the report. “I think, not being aware of where my fingers were on the inside of the trigger, obviously an accident happened that I’m at fault for. In hindsight, I wish we could have slowed it down and done a thousand things differently.”
On January 21, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office announced that Officer Cardwell had been fired. Additionally, the man who Cardwell accidentally shot said he plans to sue the department over the incident.
Read the full article here