Brevard County MP accused of murdering roommate charged with manslaughter

BREWARD COUNTY, Florida. – A Brevard County MP accused of shooting and killing his roommate, who was also an MP, was formally charged with manslaughter in December, according to a new dossier.

Records show that the Brevard County Attorney’s Office indicted 23-year-old Andrew Lawson on Jan. 27. Lawson, who was off-duty, “jokingly” pulled the trigger twice on December 4 before firing, according to the affidavit. fired and killed Deputy Austin Walsh.

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According to Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, the Palm Bay Police Department received a call from Lawson, who said he “accidentally shot his roommate and needs help.”

The roommates took a break from Call of Duty, a first-person shooter video game, after being fired due to inactivity, and stood around talking when Lawson pulled out a 9mm Glock 34 semi-automatic pistol, as shown sworn testimony. .

According to the affidavit, Lawson believed the gun was unloaded and “jokingly” pointed it at Walsh by pulling the trigger. The gun didn’t fire, so Lawson pulled back the bolt before pulling the trigger a second time, the sheriff’s office said.

This time, a single shot was fired, hitting Walsh in the head, killing him, according to deputies.

According to Ivey, Lawson immediately called 911 and was “distraught” and “devastated” when the first responders arrived. Lawson cooperated fully with the investigation by Florida law enforcement and the Palm Bay Police Department.

Ivey said that Lawson and Walsh were best friends and roommates.

The sheriff said Walsh had been with the agency since he was 18.

“Austin was such a wonderful kid and our hearts are broken by his loss. He will be greatly missed by our agency, our community, and we pray with his family,” Ivey said.

Lawson’s lawyer, Alan Landman, argued that Lawson was extremely stupid, but Landman also called the shooting a tragic accident.

“It was clearly a deliberate pull of the trigger. Don’t get me wrong,” Landman said. “But the deputy under no circumstances believed that the weapon was loaded. Two deputies were busy with a video game, and they somehow recreated that environment, they were playing around, and something went wrong for them.

Landman said that Lawson did not drink that night, and whatever the outcome of the trial, Landman believes that Lawson will most likely never work in law enforcement again.

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