A Florida police officer has been fired after she accidentally shot a driver with his own gun during a traffic stop. 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 complied with instructions to step out of the vehicle, police said on social media. Cardwell then went to remove the weapon, identified in the internal affairs reported as a Glock.
According to the internal affairs report, Cardwell "put pressure on the trigger of the firearm, causing the weapon to fire a round into Arrington's right leg. Arrington told investigators that Cardwell "jerked" the weapon several times, causing the discharge, according to the report.
Cardwell told investigators that the holster was tight and "would not come off" Arrington's waistband, and said she had been using her non-dominant hand to remove the weapon.
Police released bodycamera footage of the incident from all three officers. After the gun goes off, Lowry can be heard yelling "Holy s! Weippert and Lowry instructed Cardwell to put the gun down, and the pair then radioed for help. Weippert can be seen helping Arrington over to the side of the road, and began applying a tourniquet. Blood can be seen on Arrington's pants leg.
Cardwell also helped provide first aid. Arrington was transported to an area hospital in stable condition, the internal affairs report said. He told investigators that the injury had made it harder to do his job, which he said involved operating equipment like cranes and forklifts.
