JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A man was shot in the leg during a traffic stop Friday after his gun unexpectedly fired while a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office officer was trying to remove it.
The incident happened around 5:10 p.m. when the 39-year-old man was pulled over for running a red light on Main Street near 27th Street.
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JSO said he informed the officer that he had a gun in his waistband. The officer, then, asked him to get out of the vehicle.
The man followed the officer’s instructions without any refusal or struggle. According to JSO, while the officer was attempting to remove the man’s gun from the holster that was inside his waistband, the gun went off, striking him in the leg.
The man was legally permitted to have the gun, JSO said.
JSO said it’s unclear how the gun was discharged, but officers said it appeared to be an accident.
The officer applied first aid and the man was taken to the hospital. He was in stable condition.
This incident is not considered an officer-involved shooting, but JSO said its Homicide Cold Case Unit is investigating as a protocol for any incidents involving an officer.