A law enforcement officer has been convicted of reckless homicide for fatally shooting a young man who was delivering sandwiches to his grandmother’s residence. Jason Meade shot Casey Goodson Jr multiple times as Goodson was entering the property, leading to public outcry over the past five years. Goodson’s family can now find closure and begin to grieve after the verdict.
Meade, a white officer, is the second in Ohio to be found guilty of killing a Black man since the 2020 death of George Floyd. The incident occurred six months after Floyd’s killing, and Meade faced a retrial this year in Columbus, Ohio, after a previous mistrial.
During the trial, Meade claimed he shot Goodson in self-defense, alleging he saw Goodson holding a gun and turning towards him at the doorway. However, there were no witnesses confirming Goodson was armed, and the shooting was not captured on any cameras.
In reality, Goodson was unarmed and carrying a bag of sandwiches and keys when he was fatally shot. His family and prosecutors presented evidence contradicting Meade’s claims of self-defense. Goodson’s mother expressed relief at the guilty verdict, stating that her son can now rest after years of fighting for justice.
Meade, a former sheriff’s deputy who retired in 2021, did not testify in his second trial. Prosecutors argued that the gun was not in Goodson’s hands but in a holster under his belt when he was killed. Meade, who also serves as a Baptist pastor, will be sentenced on July 16 for reckless homicide, which carries a maximum prison term of five years in Ohio.
