A routine traffic stop in Jacksonville took an alarming turn when a man was shot in the leg after his gun discharged during an officer’s attempt to secure the weapon. The incident occurred yesterday around 5:10 p.m. near the intersection of 27th Street and Main Street, reported First Coast News. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO), a 39-year-old man was stopped after he ran a red light, and during the stop, he alerted the approaching officer to the gun he was legally carrying in his waistband.
In compliance with the officer’s instructions, the man exited his vehicle without resistance. "While the officer was attempting to remove the gun from his waistband, it fired," JSO said in a statement. Confusion remains about how the firearm was discharged. Nevertheless, an unintended bullet struck the man's leg, as detailed in the authorities' recount of the incident shared on the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Facebook post.
First aid was swiftly administered by the officer involved in the incident and a responding backup officer. The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department (JFRD) was called to the scene to further assist and transport the injured man to the hospital, where he was reported to be in stable condition, as News4JAX conveyed.
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) Homicide Cold Case Unit is overseeing the investigation, following standard protocol for any incident involving an officer, according to JSO Commander of Specialized Investigations Michael Paul. The driver, whose identity has not been disclosed, is not facing criminal charges related to the firearm but may be cited for a traffic violation stemming from the initial red light incident.
