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Authorities in Ohio say Casey Goodson was shot by a sheriff's deputy outside his Columbus home Friday when he refused to drop a handgun. His family says the 23-year-old Black man was holding a Subway sandwich, not a gun—and he was inside the home when police shot him in the back in front of his grandmother and two toddler siblings. Federal authorities are now investigating the incident, which involved Franklin County Sheriff's Office deputy Jason Meade, CNN reports. At the time of the shooting, he had been assigned to a US Marshals Office task force searching for a fugitive. US Marshal Peter Tobin said Goodson, who was not the suspect, drove by and allegedly waved a gun at Meade. Tobin said Meade confronted Goodson outside his home and a witness heard him order the man to drop his gun.
Family members dispute Tobin's account. They say Goodson, the oldest of 10 siblings, was shot after unlocking the door and stepping inside. They say he was returning from a visit to the dentist with sandwiches for the family. Police said a gun was found at the scene, though family attorney Sarah Gelsomino says Goodson—who had no criminal record—had an up-to-date concealed carry license. "Casey carrying a weapon within his right does not justify him being shot," she tells the Washington Post. "I really question the police narrative because those family members did not hear any orders to drop a gun." The family is demanding an independent investigation. Police say Meade was not wearing a body camera and no other officers witnessed the shooting, AP reports. (Read more Ohio stories.)