Ohio deputy charged with murder in fatal shooting of Black man

An Ohio sheriff’s deputy has been charged with murder after he fatally shot a Black man in the back five times last year. 

Jason Meade, a 17-year Franklin County Sheriff’s Office veteran who has since retired, shot Casey Goodson Jr., 23, in Columbus on Dec. 4.

Meade was working as part of a U.S. Marshals Service task force and completing an unsuccessful search for a fugitive. Goodson was not the subject of that search, according to The Associated Press.

Meade retired on disability on July 2 after being on administrative leave following the shooting, the AP reported.

The shooting sparked large-scale protests in Columbus, with hundreds of people taking to the streets.

Initially, U.S. Marshal Peter Tobin said Meade approached Goodson after he drove by and waved a gun at the deputy, but Tobin later retracted those comments and said the claim was based on “insufficient information,” the AP added.

Tobin also confirmed that Meade was “not performing a mission” for the marshals when the shooting happened.

Family members say Goodson was opening the door to his grandmother’s house when he was shot, adding that he was holding a sandwich, not a gun. Officials recovered a gun from the scene, but they did not provide additional detail, the wire service said. 

Meade’s initial hearing was scheduled by a judge for Friday, the AP noted. 

The case is part of an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the U.S. attorney’s office alongside the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. 

The Hill has reached out to the attorney representing Goodson’s family as well as to the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office for comment.