Who was Austin Walsh? Florida deputy, 23, dies after roommate 'jokingly' fired gun he thought was unloaded
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA: A 23-year-old Florida deputy officer of Brevard County was shot dead by an officer roommate who pulled a trigger after "jokingly" pointing it at him thinking it was unloaded.
Austin Walsh, the deputy who was killed was residing with his best friend and roommate Andrew Lawson in their Palm Bay home. The incident took place in this home on December 3 while both of them were playing video games while taking a break in the morning, says Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey in a video statement.
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Who was Austin Walsh?
Austin Walsh was a 23-year-old deputy of Brevard County, Florida who served as a Public Safety Officer whose ultimate goal was to become a deputy sheriff. Since the age of 18, he has worked as a member of Brevard County's agency and has also served before as a member of the office's Explorers program, wrote the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, Florida in their post on Facebook.
Walsh was killed off-duty in an accidental firing when Lawson who thought the gun was unloaded, pointed it at Walsh and pulled the trigger. Walsh died on spot "succumbing immediately" to his wounds before Lawson dialed 911.
Sheriff Ivey said in the statement that "Austin and Andrew were the best of friends, and Andrew is completely devastated over what happened. Even with that, there is no excuse for this tragic and totally avoidable death."
Arrested and charged with manslaughter with a firearm, Lawson whose mugshot is yet to be available is held under custody at the Brevard County Jail.
In the video statement, the Sheriff announced the death of Walsh and the arrest of Lawson as he is heartbroken about the incident and talked about his love for the two saying "'I personally know both of these kids and they were the best." He said, "This unnecessary and unavoidable incident not only took the life of an amazing young man and deputy, but it has also changed the life of another good young man who made an extremely poor and reckless decision."
Sheriff Ivey added further saying, "Austin was passionate about his job and loved the community he so proudly served. And Andrew, he's a great kid who sadly made a horrible and irresponsible decision that has forever impacted the lives of so many."
Hoping that people would rethink their actions after getting to know this incident of accidental death, Ivey said "This tragedy has broken our hearts and knowing Austin and Andrew as I do, I think they would - at the very least - want there to be a lesson somewhere in this message."
He concluded the statement by saying "Somewhere that helps save someone's life. A message that helps someone else not make the same mistake."