Former Sheriff’s Deputy Convicted After Fatally Shooting Casey Goodson Jr. as He Entered His Grandmother’s Home

A former sheriff's deputy was recently convicted of reckless homicide in the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old Black man with a rifle in 2020.

“We the jury, upon our oaths and law and evidence in its case find the defendant guilty of reckless homicide,” the judge read after the jury reached a partial verdict, ABC News reported.

Meade shot Casey Goodson Jr. five times in the back and once in the side while he was entering his grandmother's home.

Jason Meade claimed Casey Goodson pointed a gun at him twice, once while driving and again while he was entering his grandmother's house, as he was working with the U.S. Marshals in search of a potential violent fugitive.

However, according to prosecutors and witnesses, Goodson, who had no criminal history, was carrying sandwiches as he was returning home from a doctor's appointment.

"Six shots in the back. The evidence will show that on Dec. 4, 2020, the defendant shot Casey Goodson Jr. six times in the back, killing him. At the time Casey had entered his house, he was carrying a bag of Subway sandwiches and was listening to YouTube music on his AirPods," said special prosecutor Tim Merkle during the trial.

While testifying, Columbus Police Detective Ryan Rosser testified that Goodson was not carrying a gun and alleged that "Deputy Meade was panicked, saying we got to go, he’s got a gun, he’s got a gun."

"I am exiting the truck, and I hear show me your hands, and I hear gunshot," Rosser recalled, adding, "I didn’t see anything, I couldn’t tell."

However, Meade's defense attorney called the fatal shooting a "justified tragedy," arguing that Goodson "pointed a gun" which Meade saw as a "threat."

"The evidence will show that Jason Meade was justified -- a justified tragedy as such," his attorney said.

She added:

"Our defense will require you to answer two questions. Question one, did Jason believe he was about to be shot when he saw Mr. Goodson point the gun at him? And question two was Jason's decision to use deadly force reasonable through the eyes of a reasonable police officer standing in Jason's shoes without 2020 hindsight."

Although the jury found Meade guilty of reckless homicide on May 7, they couldn't agree on the murder charge, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial on that count.

Addressing the judge's decision, Goodson's mother, Tamala Payne, stated, "It gives us closure," adding, "It gives us peace. And now I’m sure I speak for my family when I say this, I know now, Casey can rest."

Meanwhile, attorney Sean Walton, who represented Goodson’s family in the lawsuit, told reporters, "There’s a relief to know that as we leave court here today, he is not free for what he did to Casey, and that’s all they wanted was accountability and justice for Casey."