The murder trial for a former Ohio deputy accused of murdering Casey Goodson Jr. in 2020 just got underway last week.
Jason Meade is on trial for murder and reckless homicide after fatally shooting 23-year-old Goodson in the back at Goodson’s grandmother’s home.
The shooting occurred after a manhunt for a wanted fugitive on Dec. 4, 2020, in the Columbus area. Meade, a former deputy with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, was working alongside U.S. Marshals in the search.
After authorities wrapped up their search efforts for the day with no arrests, Meade claims he saw Goodson waving a gun erratically from inside his car, according to a 2021 statement from Meade’s lawyers. So, he started tracking him.
Meade followed Goodson to his grandmother’s home and claimed to see him holding a gun in his right hand and a plastic bag in his left as he got out of his car and approached the house. He yelled at Goodson several times to show his hands, but Goodson ignored the commands, the statement said. When Goodson did finally turn to face the officer, Meade’s lawyers say he lifted the gun in his hand, so Meade opened fire.
Goodson died after being shot six times. Five of those shots were to his back.
Police did report they discovered a gun at the scene of the shooting, but prosecutors just revealed that that gun was found on the kitchen floor with the safety on not far from where Goodson was shot. Goodson’s relatives said Goodson was opening the door to his grandmother’s home before he was gunned down.
Prosecutors also disputed Meade’s account of what Goodson was holding in his hands. They say he was holding his keys in one hand and a bag of sandwiches in the other. He also had AirPods in his ears, something his family had previously reported.
Goodson did have a license to carry a firearm and was wearing a holster with no strap around his waist when he was shot. Neither his family nor prosecutors ever contested that Goodson…
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