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Deputy Charged With Murder in Fatal Shooting of Black Man

Casey Goodson was shot multiple times in the back in Columbus
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 8, 2020 8:55 PM CST
Updated Dec 2, 2021 12:40 PM CST
Family Says Deputy Killed Black Man Holding Sandwich
This undated photo provided by family attorney Sean Walton shows Casey Goodson.   (Family Photo/Courtesy of Attorney Sean Walton via AP)

Update: A sheriff's deputy in Ohio has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Casey Goodson last year, reports ABC6 in Columbus. Deputy Jason Meade, who has since retired, is white, and Goodson was Black. Meade shot Goodson five times in the back during an unsuccessful hunt for a fugitive. Goodson was not the suspect in that hunt. No body cam footage of the shooting exists, and conflicting versions about what happened have emerged from Goodson's relatives and police. Our original story from December 2020 follows:

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. (More Ohio stories.)

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