JACKSONVILLE, Fla — A gun unintentionally went off when an officer tried to remove it from a driver during a traffic stop in Brentwood, Friday night.
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The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was unexpected, and the driver had been cooperating with police.
Detectives said an officer had stopped a car for running a red light on 27th and Main Street around 5:10 p.m.
JSO said the driver told the officer he had a gun in his waistband. So, the officer asked the driver to get out of the car.
The officer tried to grab the gun, but detectives said it discharged unexpectedly.
“The way I understand it is that the firearm was in a holster,” JSO Commander Specialized Investigations Michael Paul said. “But it was inside the waistband, it was not an exterior holster, and the officer was attempting to remove the firearm, not sure how the gun was discharged, but as she was removing the holster from inside the waistband, the firearm discharged.”
Detectives said the driver cooperated, and there was no struggle.
“He told the officer; ‘I do have a firearm’ and the officer chose to separate that individual from the firearm during the traffic stop.”
The driver, a 38-year-old man, was shot in the leg, and the officers on scene immediately applied first aid. He is now stable in the hospital.
JSO said this is not considered to be an “officer-involved shooting” because the officer did not intentionally shoot at somebody.
“It’s not considered a police shooting, or an officer-involved shooting, it’s just an incident where an individual was injured while in custody of the sheriff’s office,” Paul said.
The homicide cold case unit is investigating, but detectives said this appears to be an accident.
The roadway had been shut down for more than three hours, but it’s open again.
Paul said the driver may face a civil traffic violation, but no charges. He said the driver was not prohibited from having a firearm.
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