Brevard County Deputy Shot And Killed Fellow Deputy By “Jokingly” Shooting Twice At Him

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — A man shot and killed his best friend, comrade, and roommate via negligent discharge, according to FOX 35.

Austin Walsh, 23, was reportedly killed by accident while the two were joking with one another.

In the video shown below, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said that Deputy Andrew Lawson, who has been reportedly arrested by FDLE officers and booked on one count of manslaughter with a firearm, “jokingly” pointed the firearm at Walsh and pulled the trigger – apparently, he thought the gun was unloaded.

According to a combination of the affidavit as reported by FOX 13 and the initial report by FOX 35, Lawson and Walsh were playing an online video game with their friends on a Saturday morning, and took a break. At some point during that break, Lawson pulled the trigger at his best friend. Nothing happened. He then pulled the gun’s slide back and pulled the trigger again, striking Walsh in the head with one bullet, killing him.

Lawson said that he felt that the gun was unloaded but that he should have known better judging from the weight of the firearm.

Lawson reportedly called dispatchers and told them what he had done, “fully distraught and devastated,” according to Sheriff Ivey.

“Austin was such a great kid and our hearts are broken over his loss. He will be deeply missed by our agency and our community,” Ivey said.

He also said that this shooting was totally avoidable and dumb, and he’s completely right about that. Remember to always treat every firearm as if it were loaded, and never point your firearm at anything you’re not willing to destroy.

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