Former Deputy Found Guilty in Shooting Case

A former sheriff’s deputy was found guilty of reckless homicide for shooting Casey Goodson Jr., a Black man, in a trial that concluded on Thursday. The incident, which occurred in December 2020, stirred public outrage in Ohio.

Trial and Charges

The jury could not agree on the more severe charge of murder, leading to a mistrial for that count. Jason Meade, who is White, shot Goodson five times in the back and once in the side. Meade claimed he acted because Goodson appeared to be holding a gun and turning toward him at the door of a Columbus house. There was no corroborative testimony or video evidence to support Meade’s claim.

This was Meade’s second murder trial after the first ended in a mistrial two years earlier. He is now the second White officer in Ohio to be convicted in the death of a Black man since the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Family’s Response

Tamala Payne, Goodson’s mother, expressed a sense of closure after the verdict. “I’m happy, I’m sad and I’m everywhere,” she told CBS affiliate WBNS. Meade was convicted of something, which Payne deemed significant.

Defense and Prosecutors

Meade initially testified that Goodson waved a gun at him from a vehicle. However, prosecutors and Goodson’s family argued that Goodson was likely carrying sandwiches and keys during the shooting. Meade did not testify in his retrial. Prosecutors indicated the gun was not in Goodson’s hands but likely secured at his belt with the safety still engaged, found under him when he was shot.

Legal and Community Reactions

Ohio defines murder as a purposeful killing, while reckless murder involves causing death through reckless actions. The latter conviction can result in up to five years in prison. Sentencing is set for July 16.

Prosecutors expressed satisfaction with the guilty verdict but have not decided on seeking a new trial for murder. Sean Walton, the Payne family’s attorney, mentioned the strong inclination of jurors from both trials to convict Meade of murder, underscoring the belief that the act was murder.

Defense attorneys did not comment post-trial. Brian Steel of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9 criticized the decision, hoping to avoid a third trial for the benefit of all involved, including the community.

Public Reaction and Context

The case heightened calls for police reform following increased scrutiny of Black individuals’ deaths involving White officers. Residents displayed signs demanding justice for Goodson but were removed during the trial by the judge’s order.

Previous cases in Ohio resulted in only one similar conviction, that of officer Adam Coy in the 2020 death of Andre Hill.