Jason Meade mug shot

Former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Jason Meade indicted with murder of Casey Goodson Jr.

By Edward Era Barbacena

COLUMBUS, Ohio  — After nearly a year of investigative work, former white American Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Jason Meade  has been indicted with the murder of a black man Casey Goodson Jr.

Meade was indicted Thursday on two charges of murder and one count of reckless homicide. The charges were filed in Franklin County Court.

Casey Goodson

Goodson Jr., 23, was shot and killed by Meade on December 4, 2020. The incident happened in Northeast Columbus, just off Ferris Road.

Meade was working with the US Marshal’s Southern Ohio Fugitive Task Force when he shot Goodson Jr. The U.S. Marshal said Goodson Jr. was not the person the task force was searching for.

There is not any body camera footage of the actual shooting, as Franklin County Sheriff's task force officers are not issued body cameras.

Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz said in March 2021 that Goodson was shot a total of six times. Five of the bullets entered Goodson's back and one entered his buttock, according to Ortiz.

She determined the cause of death was "gunshot wounds of the torso." She said "torso" is a term to define the midsection of the body, which includes front and back. The manner of death was "homicide." The full coroner's report can be read here.

After 17-years with the Sheriff's Office, Meade retired in July 2021. Prior to retirement, he had been on leave since the deadly shooting.

Hours after the indictment, Meade's attorney provided a statement on behalf of the former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy. The statement alleges that Goodson Jr. pointed a gun at the deputy moments before the deadly shooting.

"Mr. Meade acted within his lawful duties as an officer of the law when he pursued Mr. Goodson to investigate the felony weapons offense he witnessed," the statement read in part.

Following Meade's indictment, Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin released the following statement:

"After the grand jury indictment today, I've reminded my staff that while everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty, the standards for being a Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy must be even higher than that of our criminal justice system. As law enforcement officers we must meet this higher standard because of the immense trust we ask the community to place in us. It's vital to maintain that trust, which is why I've tasked members of my staff to review the facts from the independent investigation when we're able to fully access them and determine how this agency can best learn from this tragedy. This office has a professional obligation to do everything in its power to ensure the community and our deputies are kept safe. As I've said from the very beginning, I pray for everyone involved in this tragedy."

Baldwin had previously said the autopsy did not "provide all of the facts needed,” and that he will wait until the criminal investigation is complete before pursuing any disciplinary action against Meade.

In June, Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack appointed two outside prosecutors, Gary S. Shroyer and H. Tim Merkle, to investigate since the county prosecutor’s office serves as legal counsel to the sheriff’s office and anticipates having to defend the county and the law enforcement agency in this case.

"The indictment came as a result of a comprehensive investigation conducted by the Columbus Police Department's Critical Incident Review Team, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Cincinnati-Columbus Public Corruption/Civil Rights Squad, and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General," Special Prosecutors Shroyer and Merkle said in a statement.