Now-Retired Ohio Deputy Indicted For Murder Of Casey Goodson

Columbus, OH – Retired Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade was charged with the murder of 23-year-old Casey Goodson on Thursday, almost exactly one year after the deputy-involved shooting.

Meade, who retired on disability from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) on July 2, was charged with two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide on Dec. 2, WBNS reported.

The incident occurred in the afternoon on Dec. 4, 2021 in the 3900-block of Estates Place near Karl and Ferris Roads in Franklin County, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The task force, which was made up of U.S. Marshals and FCSO sheriff’s deputies, had just finished an unsuccessful search of the area for a suspect Goodson drove by and pulled into his grandmother’s driveway, according to U.S. Marshal Peter Tobin.

Marshal Tobin told reporters at a press conference after the incident that Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade said Goodson waved a gun at him as he drove by, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

He said Deputy Meade followed Goodson and confronted him when he got out of his car and told him to drop his gun.

Marshal Tobin later retracted the statement and said that he had “insufficient information” when he made the earlier comments, WCMH reported.

He also added that Deputy Meade was “not performing a mission” for the U.S. Marshals Service at the time of the Goodson shooting.

Columbus police said Deputy Meade “reported witnessing a man with a gun. The deputy was investigating the situation, and there are reports of a verbal exchange. The deputy fired at Mr. Casey Goodson, resulting in his death,” NPR reported.

At least one witness has confirmed they heard the SWAT deputy order Goodson to drop his weapon, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

Marshal Tobin said a handgun was recovered at the scene, but he did not say where it was recovered.

The family of the man who was killed said that he was carrying a bag of sandwiches into his grandmother’s house when Deputy Meade confronted him.

Goodson’s family said that he had a legally-owned firearm and a concealed-carry permit for it, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The coroner’s report said that Goodson was shot five times in the back and once in the butt.

Deputy Meade was placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting was investigated as is protocol for all deputy-involved shootings, WCMH reported.

When Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin announced Deputy Meade’s retirement in July, Goodson’s family was angry that the sheriff hadn’t fired the 17-year veteran of the sheriff’s department before he could retire.

But attorneys for the family vowed they would continue to push for charges against the retired deputy, WCMH reported.

On Dec. 2, prosecutors released a grand jury indictment that charged Meade with one count of murder for “purposely” causing Goodson’s death and a second count of murder for fatally shooting Goodson “as a proximate result of the offender committing or attempting to commit an offense of violence.”

The indictment also charged Meade with reckless homicide for recklessly causing Goodson’s death, WCMH reported.

The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Capital City Lodge released a statement of support for Meade after the indictment was announced and pointed out the suspicious timing of it.

“We respect the Franklin County Grand Jury process and thank the citizens of our great community who comprise it,” the FOP’s statement read. “However, it is not lost on us that this announcement comes only days before the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting and planned protest this Saturday at City Hall.”

“Justice is not an outcome. Justice is a process. We continue to stand by Retired Deputy Meade and await the outcome of the Jury Trial. Our thoughts and prayers are extended to all the families impacted by this incident,” the union said.