COLUMBUS, Ohio — A jury in Ohio has convicted a former Franklin County sheriff’s deputy of reckless homicide Thursday in the fatal shooting of Casey Goodson Jr., a Black man who was carrying sandwiches to his grandmother’s home when he was killed in December 2020.
Jason Meade, who is white, was acquitted of the more serious murder charge after jurors indicated they could not reach a unanimous decision on that count, leading the judge to declare a mistrial on the murder charge.
The 47-year-old former deputy, who also serves as a Baptist minister, claimed his actions were justified when he shot the 23-year-old Goodson six times — five bullets striking him in the back and one in the side. Meade maintained he witnessed Goodson holding a firearm and turning toward him in the doorway of the Columbus residence. However, no other witnesses corroborated seeing Goodson with the weapon he was legally permitted to carry, and no video footage captured the incident.
This conviction marks Meade’s second trial, following a hung jury that resulted in a mistrial two years earlier. The verdict makes him only the second white police officer in Ohio to face conviction for killing a Black person since George Floyd’s death in 2020 ignited nationwide demonstrations for police accountability.
In his previous testimony, Meade stated he followed Goodson after the young man allegedly brandished a weapon at him when their vehicles passed each other. Family members and prosecutors countered that Goodson was carrying a bag from Subway in one hand and his house keys in the other while wearing earbuds and listening to music when the shooting occurred.
According to prosecutors, evidence indicates the firearm was not in Goodson’s grasp but secured in a loose holster beneath his belt. They said the weapon was discovered underneath his body with the safety still activated as he lay dying on his grandmother’s kitchen floor.
Meade left his position with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in 2021. His legal team defended his version of events and argued the shooting was warranted.
Christopher Corne, who was driving in the area during the incident, provided testimony for prosecutors in both trials. He described seeing Goodson appearing to dance and sing in his vehicle moments before the shooting occurred. During the initial trial, Corne stated he did not observe a gun in Goodson’s possession. Defense lawyers highlighted discrepancies in Corne’s account, noting he described Goodson as having either an afro or ponytail when the victim was actually wearing a skull cap.
Columbus police Officer Samuel Rippey testified in the second trial that while providing emergency medical care to Goodson, he observed the firearm with an extended magazine on the grandmother’s floor.
The shooting death sparked significant public anger throughout Ohio as fatal encounters between white officers and Black citizens intensified calls for law enforcement reform in the wake of George Floyd’s killing in 2020. Protesters displayed banners on Columbus highway overpasses with messages reading “Justice for Casey Goodson Jr.” and “Convict Murderer Meade.” The presiding judge directed authorities to remove these displays during trial proceedings.
Prior prosecutions of similar cases in Ohio have yielded just one conviction — Columbus police officer Adam Coy, who faced murder charges in the 2020 killing of Andre Hill.
Ohio law enforcement has been involved in the fatal shootings of at least three Black children: 12-year-old Tamir Rice in Cleveland in 2014, 13-year-old Tyre King in Columbus in 2016, and 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant in Columbus in 2021.
Additional Black individuals killed by white officers in Ohio include John Crawford III in Beavercreek in 2014, Samuel DuBose in Cincinnati in 2015, Miles Jackson in Westerville in 2021, Donovan Lewis in Columbus in 2022, Jayland Walker in Akron in 2022, and pregnant Ta’Kiya Young in Columbus in 2023.
