Ohio jury convicts ex-deputy of reckless homicide in Goodson shooting

A former Ohio sheriff's deputy was convicted of reckless homicide Tuesday for the December 2020 fatal shooting of Casey Goodson Jr., 23, though jurors deadlocked on the more serious murder charge, ABC7 reported.

The verdict marks only the second time a white Ohio law enforcement officer has been convicted of killing a Black man since George Floyd's 2020 death ignited nationwide protests over police violence.

Former Franklin County Sheriff's Department Deputy Jason Meade, 47, was found guilty of reckless homicide following his second trial in Columbus. Jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict on the murder charge, and the judge declared a mistrial on that count, according to ABC7.

Meade fired six shots at Goodson — five in the back and one in the side — in the doorway of a Columbus home. Prosecutors said Goodson was carrying a bag of Subway sandwiches in one hand and his keys in the other at the time, and was listening to music through earbuds, ABC7 reported.

The gun recovered at the scene was found beneath Goodson's body with its safety mechanism still engaged, prosecutors said. Goodson held a valid license to carry the weapon. No cameras recorded the incident, and no witnesses testified to seeing Goodson holding the firearm, according to ABC7.

Meade, who also serves as a Baptist pastor, claimed at trial he saw Goodson brandishing the weapon and turning toward him before he fired. Meade retired from the Franklin County Sheriff's Department in 2021. His first trial, conducted approximately two years earlier, ended in a mistrial.

The conviction mirrors the only comparable prior case in the state: former Columbus Officer Adam Coy, who was found guilty of the 2020 killing of Andre Hill, ABC7 reported. Ohio has also seen a series of other fatal police shootings involving Black residents, including the 2014 death of 12-year-old Tamir Rice and the 2016 death of 13-year-old Tyre King.

The Meade verdict arrives nearly six years after George Floyd's death set off one of the largest protest movements in U.S. history, with the national debate over policing and racial equity still unresolved.