First rule of gun safety...
This is who we hire for these positions
I don’t get it.
Typical cop with a sense of entitlement. Laws are for other people, not him.
What were they thinking?
What was he drinking?
Some honest mistakes cannot ever be fixed.
Florida cop
Couldn’t find any pics of Lawson. ??
How is this different than what Baldwin did?
Why are they hiring such stupid people, there should be a minimum IQ level required.
A lack of basic training.
One of my favorite quotes:
“There’s no such thing as an accident, only premeditated carelessness”
It’s a safe bet that this Lawson character wasn’t an NRA member or into the gun culture. We treat every gun as though it’s loaded and never show off a firearm unless it’s broken down.
More details. A genius I worked with who became an Alexandria, Va city cop and shot (not fatally) his roommate another APD cop as they played ‘quick draw’ with their service revolvers. This was in 1969 so such stupidity is not a new LEO thing:
Deputy shot, killed by roommate and fellow deputy in ‘accidental shooting,’ sheriff says
Deputy Andrew Lawson faces manslaughter charges
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Austin Walsh, a 23-year-old Brevard County deputy, was killed in an accidental shooting by his roommate and fellow deputy, according to Sheriff Wayne Ivey.
WKMG in Orlando reported that Ivey gave an update in a video statement posted on the sheriff office’s Facebook page on Sunday evening.
According to Palm Bay police, Walsh’s death was related to a shooting reported in the 700 block of Damascus Avenue, in the southwest section of the city.
The Palm Bay Police Department received a 911 call early Saturday from off-duty Deputy Andrew Lawson who said that he “accidentally shot his roommate and needed help,” Ivey said.
According to police, Lawson said that the two men had taken a break from playing an online game with some of their friends and was “standing around talking.” Lawson said he was holding a gun, which he believed was unloaded, and at some point in the conversation “jokingly pointed the gun” at Walsh and pulled the trigger.
A single round was fired and struck Walsh, according to the investigation.
“Austin and Andrew were the best of friends and Andrew was completely devastated over what happened. Even with that, there is no excuse for this tragic and totally avoidable death, and as a result earlier today, Andrew Lawson was taken into custody on a no-bond warrant by agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for manslaughter,” Ivey said.
According to the FDLE, Lawson turned himself in on Sunday.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Ivey said Walsh had worked as a member of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office since the age of 18 after several years in its Explorers program, adding the agency was in mourning for him.
Ivey described Walsh as a treasured member of the agency’s family, asking that the public keep him — as well as his loved ones, agency and community — in its thoughts and prayers.
BANG!
YOU'RE DEAD!
ONLY JOKING!
HA HA!
Rule #1: The gun is always loaded
Rule #2: Do not point the gun at anything you are not prepared to kill.
Rule #3: Keep your finger out of the trigger mechanism until you are ready to fire.
Rule #4: Always be aware of what is behind your target.
Its not difficult.
Reminds me of an old Andrews Sisters song my dad used to sing.
I didn’t know the gun was loaded
And I’m so sorry, my friend
I didn’t know the gun was loaded
And I’ll never, never do it again
What’s a “roommate”? Grown men don’t have other men as “room mates”. Something else going on?
What an absolute idiot. I would never point a gun at anyone unless they were a clear threat to my safety or someone else’s safety. There is no excuse for what this idiot did.
Doesn’t seem like it was that funny to the dead guy.
Wow. Who jokingly points a firearm at somebody, especially if you are trained in firearms?