COLUMBUS, Ohio — A second murder trial began Thursday for a former sheriff’s deputy accused of fatally shooting a Black man who was entering his grandmother’s residence in 2020.
Former Franklin County Deputy Jason Meade, who is white, faces murder and reckless homicide charges in the death of Casey Goodson Jr. The fatal encounter sparked demonstrations in Columbus and raised numerous questions, particularly since sheriff’s deputies weren’t equipped with body or dashboard cameras to document the incident.
This new trial comes over two years after the initial proceedings ended without resolution when jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision. A judge declared a mistrial in 2024 after the jury remained deadlocked on the same charges.
During the first trial, Meade took the stand and claimed that Goodson displayed a weapon toward him as their vehicles passed each other. He testified that he followed Goodson out of concern for his own safety and that of others. According to Meade’s testimony, he opened fire when Goodson turned in his direction while holding a gun as he entered the residence. The 23-year-old victim sustained six gunshot wounds, with five striking him from behind.
The fatal shooting occurred on December 4, 2020, as Meade concluded an unsuccessful manhunt for a wanted individual while working with a U.S. Marshals Service task force. Goodson was not connected to the fugitive investigation, and federal marshals have confirmed that Meade was not conducting official duties for their agency when the shooting took place.
Meade has since left law enforcement.
Prosecutors and Goodson’s relatives maintain that the victim was carrying a bag containing a sandwich in one hand and his house keys in the other when he was shot after unlocking his front door. While they acknowledge Goodson may have possessed a firearm, for which he held a valid permit, prosecutors emphasized that only Meade has testified to seeing Goodson holding a weapon.
Investigators discovered Goodson’s gun on his grandmother’s kitchen floor with its safety feature activated.
The previous trial’s jury became deadlocked after experiencing significant disruption, with one juror removed and replaced during testimony, followed by three additional dismissals and replacements during deliberations. These changes forced the jury to repeatedly restart their discussions. Court officials have not disclosed the reasons for the juror removals.
