For the first time, we are hearing from a man who was shot with his own gun during a Jacksonville traffic stop.
Jason Arrington and his attorney Kay Harper Williams held a news conference downtown on Friday.
Arrington said his gun went off when a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Officer was trying to remove it from his holster during a traffic stop on Friday, Dec. 13 on North Main Street near 27th Street in Brentwood.
He said the officer tugged on the gun multiple times and that’s when it discharged and he was shot in the upper thigh.
Arrington said he was cooperative with law enforcement the entire time.
RELATED: Jacksonville police change policy after driver’s gun went off during traffic stop
JSO told Action News Jax at the time of the stop that a driver, now identified as Arrington, had his gun go off and he was shot as an officer was removing it from his waistband.
According to JSO, they were told about the gun during the stop and Arrington cooperated without any struggle.
JSO’s homicide cold case unit is investigating and detectives said it appeared to be an accident.
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JSO released a memorandum on Dec. 18 detailing how officers should deal with someone carrying a concealed weapon. In that memorandum, it said officers “should not seize a firearm from someone lawfully carrying it.”
On Friday, Arrington recalled the moment when his firearm went off.
“From the moment when it hit, it was a movement in my body and I actually didn’t think … then when I realized I looked down, he stood up and said, ‘Man, you’ve been shot,’” Arrington said.
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Just after Arrington’s news conference, JSO shared the following statement on social media:
“The details of the incident that occurred on Main Street on December 13th are part of an active internal affairs investigation. Per FSS 112.533(2)(a) and 112.533(4), active internal affairs investigations, to include the identity of the officer and information learned during the investigation, are confidential until the investigation has concluded. The law does allow us to acknowledge that an investigation is currently underway.
“An active internal affairs investigation is different from an administrative review of a critical incident, which JSO conducts for all officer-involved shootings. Active internal affairs investigations are subject to certain statutory restrictions covered under the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights (FSS 112.532). As is customary in these types of investigations, the officer under investigation may have his or her law enforcement authority rescinded. That authority has been rescinded for this officer and the officer was reassigned to an administrative position until the active internal affairs investigation is complete.
“Separately, due to pending litigation in this case, we will be unable to comment further.”
Coming up on Action News Jax at 4, we’ll have details on the lawsuit his attorney is planning on filing.
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