Florida sheriff's deputy pleads guilty in fatal shooting of roommate

Florida sheriff's deputy pleads guilty in fatal shooting of roommate

John A. Torres, Florida Today

Fri, January 16, 2026 at 10:13 AM UTC

3 min read

More than three years after a Florida sheriff's deputy shot and killed his friend, roommate and fellow deputy while playing around with his firearm, Andrew Lawson pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to manslaughter in a plea agreement with the State Attorney's Office.

During an emotional and dramatic moment, Brevard County Sheriff's deputy Lawson took the witness stand and apologized for his actions.

"It broke my soul to know I took Austin's future away from him," Lawson said, stopping often to dry his eyes and regain his composure. "I stole a future that was not mine to take. I'm sorry. I apologize. Please forgive me."

The hearing ran long and will be continued at a later date, meaning Lawson will have to wait to see what his sentence will be. The plea agreement however does not stipulate an exact sentence for the crime, other than to cap any prison time at seven years.

That detail did not sit well with the family and supporters of the victim, 23-year-old Austin Walsh. They asked Circuit Judge Michelle Naberhaus to reject the agreement.

"I respectfully ask you not to accept the plea deal," Walsh's mother, Cheryl Walsh, tearfully said. "The defendant made a series of choices that cannot be undone."

She called the plea deal "insulting" and said the family's wishes have gone ignored by the State Attorney's Office.

Her son, Alec Walsh, addressed the court in a similar fashion.

"We have been ignored (by the state) and our pleas have fallen on deaf ears," he said. "We feel that the state has not represented our best interests. This was not an accident. It was done intentionally."

Lawson was 22 at the time of the shooting.

Brevard County Deputy Austin Walsh (pictured) was killed in an accidental shooting by his roommate and fellow Deputy Andrew Lawson. Lawson pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case

In Dec. 2022, Lawson and Walsh were taking a break from playing video games in the early morning hours when Lawson "jokingly" pointed what he believed was an unloaded handgun at Walsh and pulled the trigger, according to a statement made by Sheriff Wayne Ivey at the time.

However, Lawson pulled the trigger twice that morning. Nothing happened after the first trigger pull. That's when Lawson then racked the slide of the gun, chambering a bullet and fired again. He shot Walsh in the face, killing him.

Ivey called the incident an "extremely dumb and totally avoidable accident" in a video update posted to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office Facebook page a day later.

Cheryl Walsh said Lawson ignored all the basic tenets of firearm safety and that as a law enforcement officer should "be held to a higher standard, not a lower one."

"He racked the slide and pulled a trigger a second time," she said. "A gun does not cock itself. He murdered Austin."

Defense Attorney Alan Landman presented mental health expert, Drew Breznitsky, who testified about his clinical findings after meeting with Lawson. He said Lawson suffers from Bipolar II disorder, which can cause impulsivity, reckless behavior and a reduction in risk assessment.

But prosecutor Stewart Stone questioned the diagnosis, opining that Lawson was mentally healthy enough to be hired by the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Another witness for the defense, biblical counselor David Covalli, testified that he counseled Lawson for two years after the shooting and that Lawson was remorseful.

"He 100% accepted his responsibility," Covalli testified virtually. "He realized intent does not negate consequences."

Contact Torres at jtorres@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnalbertorres.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida sheriff deputy Andrew Lawson pleads guilty to manslaughter

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