Austin Walsh, 23, a deputy with the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office who had been with the agency since age 18 and came up through its Explorer program, was killed on December 3, 2022, in what investigators describe as an accidental shooting at his home. Walsh was off-duty and playing video games with his roommate and fellow deputy, Andrew Lawson, when Lawson pointed a handgun at Walsh and pulled the trigger. The weapon did not fire on the first pull; Lawson then manipulated the firearm by pulling the slide back, pointed it again and pulled the trigger a second time, and the gun discharged, striking Walsh in the face and killing him instantly.

Lawson reported the shooting, called 911 and cooperated with investigators. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Palm Bay Police Department investigated and Lawson was arrested on a manslaughter charge. The arrest report states Lawson believed the gun was unloaded but failed to notice a magazine with ammunition remained in the firearm. Sheriff Wayne Ivey called the incident an extremely dumb and totally avoidable accident and noted it violated basic firearm safety protocols.

The death prompted widespread sorrow in the local law enforcement community and raised questions about training and discipline. Does anyone have information about the circumstances that night or about Walsh’s service and the department’s response?