ADVERTISEMENT

Very sad... Cop Accidentally Shot Cop Roommate

NoleATL

HR Legend
Gold Member
Jul 11, 2007
33,931
35,949
113
Very reckless behavior. The one shot was a definite wood.

Florida Sheriff: Cop Accidentally Killed Cop Roommate​

December 5, 2022 Crime, Police


Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports:
According to the Brevard County Sheriff, 23-year-old deputy Austin Walsh was killed Saturday by his own roommate, who is also a fellow deputy, in an accidental shooting. In a video on Facebook, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Walsh and his roommate, Deputy Andrew Lawson were at a home in Palm Bay early Saturday morning.
“He and Austin had taken a break from playing an online game with a number of their friends. Lawson was holding a handgun, which he believed he had unloaded and at one point in their conversation, Lawson, thinking that the gun was unloaded, jokingly pointed the gun in Austin’s direction and pulled the trigger,” Ivey said.
Read the full article.
Lawson has been charged with manslaughter. In the video below, the sheriff condemns his “reckless” action.

 
Damn it. . . real guns are not toys. You would think a cop would understand this.

Also

You always assume a gun is loaded

You never point it at person you don't want to actually shoot.

And you keep your finger off the trigger unless you want to shot.

Honestly if this doesn't show that we need to get better people and train them better for our police forces I don't know what does.
 
Very reckless behavior. The one shot was a definite wood.

Florida Sheriff: Cop Accidentally Killed Cop Roommate​

December 5, 2022 Crime, Police


Orlando’s NBC affiliate reports:

Read the full article.
Lawson has been charged with manslaughter. In the video below, the sheriff condemns his “reckless” action.


Why would someone ever point an actual weapon at someone and pull the trigger? Even if I 10000000% knew it was unloaded, this just doesn't come to my mind as something to do.

Edit to add: Also, took me a while to figure out the wood because I didn't pay attention to OP. Thanks for wasting 30 seconds of my life trying to figure out how a chick was involved OP!
 
Man, even if it’s just two men living together who are supposed to be responsible enough to be cops, you don’t just leave a gun laying around a house to the point that you randomly play with it in the living room. Christ how do people forget that guns are deadly.

I love shooting, it’s a good time, I would never leave a gun on a coffee table.
 
Why would someone ever point an actual weapon at someone and pull the trigger? Even if I 10000000% knew it was unloaded, this just doesn't come to my mind as something to do.

Edit to add: Also, took me a while to figure out the wood because I didn't pay attention to OP. Thanks for wasting 30 seconds of my life trying to figure out how a chick was involved OP!
So that’s a no from you?
 
"“He and Austin had taken a break from playing an online game with a number of their friends. Lawson was holding a handgun, which he believed he had unloaded and at one point in their conversation, Lawson, thinking that the gun was unloaded, jokingly pointed the gun in Austin’s direction and pulled the trigger,” Ivey said."

I was what, maybe 6 years old, when I learned that you don't do this?

You'd think they'd received enough training to know better.
 
Damn it. . . real guns are not toys. You would think a cop would understand this.

Also

You always assume a gun is loaded

You never point it at person you don't want to actually shoot.

And you keep your finger off the trigger unless you want to shot.

Honestly if this doesn't show that we need to get better people and train them better for our police forces I don't know what does.


You would think... I worked with a guy who shot himself in the hand while he was preparing to clean his service firearm. He was put on admin leave and eventually returned to service.

Accidents happen, but far too often. Some people get awfully comfortable with firearms. If you point it and pull the trigger, regardless of being "unloaded" you are likely too relaxed with firearms.
 
Last edited:
“He and Austin had taken a break from playing an online game with a number of their friends. Lawson was holding a handgun, which he believed he had unloaded and at one point in their conversation, Lawson, thinking that the gun was unloaded, jokingly pointed the gun in Austin’s direction and pulled the trigger,” Ivey said.


Whoever heard of an unloaded gun? Is there anywhere that teaches to treat an 'unloaded gun' different than any other firearm?

What's the charge for 'jokingly' committing homicide? Just manslaughter?
 
I wonder what game they were playing. If it was Techmo Super Bowl and the victim won by a miraculous fumble recovery at the last second, I could see this happening.
 
At least it wast an innocent citizen. Probably saved someone from being shot or killed
 
More than 25 years on, this episode still resonates (probably more so) today.

"This is the trigger, this is the thing you point at whatever you want to die"....about the 50 second mark

 
“He and Austin had taken a break from playing an online game with a number of their friends. Lawson was holding a handgun, which he believed he had unloaded and at one point in their conversation, Lawson, thinking that the gun was unloaded, jokingly pointed the gun in Austin’s direction and pulled the trigger,” Ivey said.


Whoever heard of an unloaded gun? Is there anywhere that teaches to treat an 'unloaded gun' different than any other firearm?

What's the charge for 'jokingly' committing homicide? Just manslaughter?


Thats all up to the district attorney. But yes, looks like he was already charged with manslaughter. Be interesting to see if he gets prison time. For a total accident.

All my firearms classes, it's always loaded, even when unloaded. I'd put money on ejected the round in the chamber by racking the slide back, inspecting that it's clear and then racking the slide forward. Then released the magazine. "It's unloaded." or not. I've watched that exact sequence to clear a firearm multiple times.
 
Even if he thought it was unloaded, who TF pretends to shoot someone by actually pointing the gun and dry firing?

Far too many gun fetishists in this country.
 
Last edited:
Thats all up to the district attorney. But yes, looks like he was already charged with manslaughter. Be interesting to see if he gets prison time. For a total accident.

All my firearms classes, it's always loaded, even when unloaded. I'd put money on ejected the round in the chamber by racking the slide back, inspecting that it's clear and then racking the slide forward. Then released the magazine. "It's unloaded." or not. I've watched that exact sequence to clear a firearm multiple times.
I was making a rhetorical point (poorly) that you don't treat a gun differently because you think it is loaded or unloaded.
 
Two shots were accidentally fired?


Affidavit: Brevard County deputy thought gun was unloaded before 'jokingly' shooting twice at fellow deputy

 
  • Wow
Reactions: torbee
Two shots were accidentally fired?


Affidavit: Brevard County deputy thought gun was unloaded before 'jokingly' shooting twice at fellow deputy



He felt like he needed to repeat the joke.
 
Thats all up to the district attorney. But yes, looks like he was already charged with manslaughter. Be interesting to see if he gets prison time. For a total accident.

All my firearms classes, it's always loaded, even when unloaded. I'd put money on ejected the round in the chamber by racking the slide back, inspecting that it's clear and then racking the slide forward. Then released the magazine. "It's unloaded." or not. I've watched that exact sequence to clear a firearm multiple times.
Man, with all that negligence going on, I don't think you can call it a total accident.
 
Two shots were accidentally fired?


Affidavit: Brevard County deputy thought gun was unloaded before 'jokingly' shooting twice at fellow deputy

Clearly his pal didn't get the punchline the first time.
 
Something smells fishy here... Do they know for sure that this wasn't a planned "accident" by the shooter? Seems like a creative way to premeditatedly murder someone and get the least amount of penalty/ blame.
 
  • Like
Reactions: McLovin32
ADVERTISEMENT