After fatally shooting a young black man in the back, a former Ohio deputy was charged Thursday with two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide.
On December 4, 2020, Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade fatally shot Casey Goodson Jr. for allegedly aiming a firearm at him. But according to the coroner’s report, Meade fired five bullets into Goodson’s back and a sixth round into his buttock.
According to Goodson’s relatives, he was opening the door to his grandmother’s house at the time that the deputy shot him. Investigators said that a gun was recovered from the scene but have not provided further details.
The family has said Goodson had a sandwich, not a gun, in his hand. But even if Goodson had been carrying a gun, the family has reiterated, he had a license to carry a firearm.
On Thursday, attorney Sean Walton announced that the family had filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against Meade and the sheriff’s office. That same day, Meade was indicted on two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide for purposely causing the death of Casey Goodson Jr.
Initially on administrative leave from the sheriff’s office since the shooting, Meade retired in July 2021.
“It’s been a year of sadness, it’s been a year of grief, it’s been a year of pain,” Goodson’s mother, Tamala Payne, said during a news conference. “But I know that every day of this year, that my family and I wake up and just fight for what’s right.”
On Thursday, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin released the following statement: “After the grand jury indictment today, I’ve reminded my staff that while everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the standards for being a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy must be even higher than that of our criminal justice system. As law enforcement officers we must meet this higher standard because of the immense trust we ask the community to place in us. It’s vital to maintain that trust, which is why I’ve tasked members of my staff to review the facts from the independent investigation when we’re able to fully access them and determine how this agency can best learn from this tragedy. This office has a professional obligation to do everything in its power to ensure the community and our deputies are kept safe. As I’ve said from the very beginning, I pray for everyone involved in this tragedy.”
The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
confirmed that Meade had not been wearing a body
camera at the time of the shooting.
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