FEB. 2025. Blues Vol 41 No.2

AROUND THE COUNTRYACROSS

AROUND THE COUNTRYACROSS THE USThe Latest Breaking News as we go LIVE.FLORIDA OFFICER FIRED AF-TER SHE ACCIDENTALLY SHOTA DRIVER WITH HIS OWN GUNDURING A TRAFFIC STOpBy Kerry BreenA Florida police officer hasbeen fired after she accidentallyshot a driver with his own gunduring a traffic stop.Officer Shaun Lowry, of theJacksonville Sheriff's Office,stopped driver Jason Arringtonfor running a red light around5:10 p.m. on December 13, 2024,according to an internal affairsreport shared by the sheriff'soffice. Officers Mindy Cardwelland Austin Weippert assisted inthe stop.Arrington, who police describedas "cooperative" duringthe stop, informed Lowry that hehad a legal firearm on his body.He complied with instructionsto step out of the vehicle, policesaid on social media.Cardwell then went to removethe weapon, identified in the internalaffairs reported as a Glock.45 semi-automatic pistol, froma holster on Arrington's waistband.According to the internalaffairs report, Cardwell "putpressure on the trigger of thefirearm, causing the weapon tofire a round into Arrington's rightleg."Arrington told investigatorsthat Cardwell "jerked" the weaponseveral times, causing the discharge,according to the report.Cardwell told investigators thatthe holster was tight and "wouldnot come off" Arrington's waistband,and said she had beenusing her non-dominant hand toremove the weapon.Police released body camerafootage of the incident from allthree officers. After the gun goesoff, Lowry can be heard yelling"Holy s---!" and Weippert canbe heard asking Arrington if heis OK. Weippert and Lowry instructedCardwell to put the gundown, and the pair then radioedfor help. Weippert can beseen helping Arrington over tothe side of the road, and beganapplying a tourniquet. Blood canbe seen on Arrington's pants leg.Cardwell also helped providefirst aid.Arrington was transported toan area hospital in stable condition,the internal affairs reportsaid. He told investigators thatthe injury had made it harder todo his job, which he said involvedoperating equipment likecranes and forklifts.An internal affairs investigationinto Cardwell's behavior waslaunched. A charge of incompetencewas filed against Cardwell,and she has been fired, policesaid.Cardwell had been "working inan off-duty capacity" under the62 The BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25

office's Group Violence Interventioninitiative, according to thereport. The initiative is meantto reduce crime while fosteringrelationships between law enforcementand the public, localmedia reported.The incident resulted in newpolicy from the sheriff's officeabout how to deal with encounterswhere someone is legallyarmed, according to the internalaffairs report. Now, officersshould not seize a firearm if aperson is lawfully carrying it,according to the report.BIDEN COMMUTES 2,500MORE SENTENCES IN FINALDAYS OF PRESIDENCYWASHINGTON D.C. – PresidentJoe Biden commuted thesentences of nearly 2,500 moreinmates in the final days of hispresidency. He previously completedthe largest single daygrant of clemency on December12th when he commutedsentences for 1,500 people andpardoned 39 others according toFox News.“Today’s clemency actionprovides relief for individualswho received lengthy sentencesbased on discredited distinctionsbetween crack and powdercocaine, as well as outdatedsentencing enhancements fordrug crimes,” Biden said in astatement.The president said now is thetime to “equalize these sentencingdisparities” as recognizedthrough the Fair Sentencing Actof 2010 and the First Step Act of2018.The decision puts Biden thousandsof cases ahead of all otherpresidents who have issued actsof clemency during their terms.“With this action, I have nowissued more individual pardonsand commutations than anypresident in U.S. history,” Bidensaid.Biden has always looked to bea legacy president, often comparinghimself to Eisenhower orLincoln but sadly, the commuterin chief will be one of the few socalled “accomplishments” he canboast about actually doing.The problem is that the storyalso began with Joe Biden. Hewas the architect of the 1994Crime Bill that launched the“three strikes” mantra, throwingthousands of black men in prisonfor life for drug offenses.He has never apologized oracknowledged his role and thatlack of responsibility is the truelegacy of a failed president.OKLAHOMA SENATOR REFUS-ES TO PROVIDE ID AFTER AL-LEGEDLY RUNNING STOP SIGNSTULSA, OK. – Oklahoma StateSenator Regina Goodwin hasbeen a vocal critique of lawenforcement through the yearsbut a recent interaction withCLICK TO WATCHa deputy doesn’t exactly showmodel behavior from a communityleader. Goodwin was pulledover after a Tulsa County Deputyallegedly observed her failing tostop at two stop signs.The deputy said that he intendedto give her a quick verbalwarning but that all changedwhen Goodwin came out of hercar, began arguing, and refusedto give her drivers license to thedeputy.The deputy asked for her licenseover a dozen times andfinally places her in handcuffs totake her to jail for the violation.Once in the car, Goodwin’sattorney and even the Mayor ofTulsa showed up.After finally obtaining her license,Goodwin was written thecitation and released.FBI ASSISTANT SPECIALAGENT IN CHARGE WHO SAIDNEW ORLEANS ATTACK 'NOTA TERRORIST EVENT' REAS-SIGNEDBy Kelley Kramer, David Spunt,Chris Pandolfo, Fox NewsThe FBI assistant special agentin charge who told the mediaand the public the New OrleansThe BLUES - FEBRUARY ‘25 63