Nearly one year after Casey Goodson Jr.’s death, Jason Meade, the former Franklin County sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot him, has been indicted. On Thursday (Dec. 2), Meade was indicted on two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide in Franklin County Court.
“I can’t say that my heart is full. My heart will be full once he’s convicted,” Goodson’s mother said in a press conference on Thursday. “But I’m happy. We’re a step closer.”
As reported by REVOLT, Meade was working with a U.S. Marshal Southern Ohio Fugitive Task when he shot and killed Goodson on Dec. 4, 2020 outside his grandmother’s home in Columbus, Ohio despite the 23-year-old not being the target of their mission.
In March, Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz said Goodson was struck by a total of six bullets, with five piercing his back and one hitting his buttock. Meade, a 17-year veteran of the sheriff’s department, was put on leave after the deadly shooting and retired in July.
The shooting was not captured on video, as Franklin County sheriff’s task force officers do not have body-worn cameras.
“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 Ddputy must be even higher than that of our criminal justice system,” Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in a statement on Thursday. “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,” he added. “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 previously said the department would wait until the criminal investigation into the shooting is complete before pursuing any disciplinary action against Meade. The former deputy’s indictment follows an independent investigation by the Department of Justice, FBI Cincinnati-Columbus Public Corruption/Civil Rights Squad and Columbus Police Department Critical Incident Review Team.