Florida cop accidentally kills deputy roommate while playing with gun he thought was unloaded

1
On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that a sheriff's deputy in Brevard County, Florida accidentally shot and killed another deputy, his best friend and roommate, with a gun that he thought wasn't loaded.
"In the moments before the shooting took place, Ivey said, Walsh and Lawson had taken a break from playing an online game with a few of their friends," said the report. "The pair were 'just kind of standing around, talking,' Ivey said. '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.'"
Full story: https://www.rawstory.com/accidental-shooting/

As my Dad taught me always assume that the gun is loaded and never point any gun at anything that don't want to kill, or destroy.
There was clear violations of the Four rules and two lives destroyed, one permanently and the other having to live with the action and the consequences of his action.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Florida cop accidentally kills deputy roommate while playing with gun he thought was unloaded

2
As much as I dislike police departments in general, I don't wish this on deputies.

The number of negligent discharges among law encroachment officers is, frankly, stunning to me, until I consider that they are quite often testosterone-poisoned and complacent.

That last part especially.
Eventually I'll figure out this signature thing and decide what I want to put here.

Re: Florida cop accidentally kills deputy roommate while playing with gun he thought was unloaded

3
Another stupid and tragic death.
Andrew Lawson and his roommate, Austin Walsh — both deputies with the sheriff’s office in Brevard County, Fla. — had spent Friday night at home playing “Call of Duty” when Lawson retreated to his bedroom after midnight and pulled out his Glock. When Walsh appeared in the doorway, Lawson pulled the trigger of what he thought was an empty gun, according to investigators. He did so “jokingly,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said in a news conference Sunday. Though nothing happened that first time, when Lawson pulled the trigger again, a bullet was released, hitting Walsh below his right eye and killing him, according to an arrest affidavit for Lawson.
On Sunday, Lawson, 22, was arrested and charged with manslaughter in what Ivey described as an “extremely dumb” accident and a “horrible, irresponsible decision.” The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Palm Bay Police Department are investigating. Lawson has been “fully cooperative,” Ivey said. Court documents did not list an attorney for Lawson, and he did not respond to a phone message from The Washington Post on Monday night. Authorities have not said whether the weapon that killed Walsh was issued by the sheriff’s office. Walsh, 23, had worked with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office since he was 18, first as a public safety officer and later becoming a deputy, which the sheriff said had been Walsh’s dream. He was also a member of the agency’s explorer program, an initiative that teaches young people about law enforcement.
Lawson told Palm Bay police Sgt. Lewis Jones outside his home Saturday that he’d checked to see whether the pistol was loaded before pulling its trigger, the affidavit states. Lawson also told the sergeant that he “should have known” the weapon was loaded based on its weight, according to the affidavit.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2 ... t-brevard/

I suspect alcohol and maybe drugs were involved. Another tragic loss of life by a professional who should know how to safely handle a firearm.
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Florida cop accidentally kills deputy roommate while playing with gun he thought was unloaded

4
We have no evidence that drugs or alcohol was involved. I have witnessed in person decades ago cops playing with their guns practicing their fast draws etc. This was back when the carried .357 revolvers. One was showing off his quick draw and the gun discharged He was in the back of the police station and the bullet went through four sheetrock walls and missed the police dispatcher's head by about three inches. Needless to say the dispatcher was very upset. Unfortunately we still have LEOs that have the mentally of a high school sophomore that has to prove themselves.
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Florida cop accidentally kills deputy roommate while playing with gun he thought was unloaded

5
highdesert wrote: Tue Dec 06, 2022 11:01 am ...Glock... pulled the trigger of what he thought was an empty gun ...Though nothing happened that first time, when Lawson pulled the trigger again, a bullet was released...
There is no way to pull a trigger twice on a Glock, without racking the slide to re-cock it between pulls. At least not if you pull it all the way until it snaps.

Am I misreading that? Or does Glock now offer DA pistols that I was not aware of?

Re: Florida cop accidentally kills deputy roommate while playing with gun he thought was unloaded

7
jc57 wrote: Tue Dec 06, 2022 1:10 pm
highdesert wrote: Tue Dec 06, 2022 11:01 am ...Glock... pulled the trigger of what he thought was an empty gun ...Though nothing happened that first time, when Lawson pulled the trigger again, a bullet was released...
There is no way to pull a trigger twice on a Glock, without racking the slide to re-cock it between pulls. At least not if you pull it all the way until it snaps.

Am I misreading that? Or does Glock now offer DA pistols that I was not aware of?
Only when it is being drawn from a holster. :sarcasm:
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.-Huxley
"We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both." ~ Louis Brandeis,

Re: Florida cop accidentally kills deputy roommate while playing with gun he thought was unloaded

8
All Glock are SA only, cannot strike again w/o racking the slide.

Yeah, the reporting was off or the shooter outright lied about what happened through ommision.
"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence. There is hope for a violent man to become non-violent. There is no such hope for the impotent." -Gandhi

Re: Florida cop accidentally kills deputy roommate while playing with gun he thought was unloaded

10
TrueTexan wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 12:12 pm
On Monday, The Daily Beast reported that a sheriff's deputy in Brevard County, Florida accidentally shot and killed another deputy, his best friend and roommate, with a gun that he thought wasn't loaded.
"In the moments before the shooting took place, Ivey said, Walsh and Lawson had taken a break from playing an online game with a few of their friends," said the report. "The pair were 'just kind of standing around, talking,' Ivey said. '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.'"
Full story: https://www.rawstory.com/accidental-shooting/

As my Dad taught me always assume that the gun is loaded and never point any gun at anything that don't want to kill, or destroy.
There was clear violations of the Four rules and two lives destroyed, one permanently and the other having to live with the action and the consequences of his action.
But, but, but, 'law enforcement' are highly trained, very intelligent people with VAST knowledge of firearms, right? No surprise, cops in Florida...This guy will lose his job but not his freedom. He'll jump in his car and get hired a few countries or states over.
I suspect alcohol and maybe drugs were involved. Another tragic loss of life by a 'professional' who should know how to safely handle a firearm.
Professional in quotes or with an asterick maybe. A 'professional' doesn't get shit-faced and play with his gun.
Yeah, the reporting was off or the shooter outright lied about what happened through ommision.
What a surprise.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Ahrefs [Bot] and 3 guests