Casey Goodson Jr. Shooting: Reckless Homicide Verdict and $7M Settlement

The Casey Goodson Jr. shooting was the December 4, 2020 killing of a 23-year-old Black man by Franklin County sheriff’s deputy Jason Meade outside Goodson’s family home in northeast Columbus, Ohio. Goodson, returning from a dentist appointment with a bag of Subway sandwiches, was shot six times — five in the back and once in the buttock. In May 2026, after two trials, a jury convicted Meade of reckless homicide. It deadlocked on a murder charge that remains unresolved.{¹}

What Happened on December 4, 2020

Meade was assigned that afternoon to a U.S. Marshals fugitive task force operating in the Columbus area. The task force had just finished an unsuccessful search and members were removing their gear when Meade encountered Goodson. U.S. Marshal Peter Tobin later said Meade was “acting on his own and in his independent authority” as a sheriff’s deputy, not as part of the task force.{²}

Meade claimed he saw Goodson holding a handgun with an extended magazine in a vehicle and followed him after allegedly seeing Goodson point the weapon at other drivers. Prosecutors said Goodson was walking to his family’s door with sandwiches in one hand and keys in the other, wearing earbuds, when Meade fired six rounds from a department-issued rifle. A gun was recovered near Goodson’s body, but prosecutors said it was in a holster under his belt with the safety engaged.{¹}

Nine family members were inside the home, including four children. A five-year-old witnessed the shooting.{³} Goodson died at the scene. There is no body camera footage of the encounter; Franklin County sheriff’s deputies were not equipped with body cameras at the time.{⁴}

Who Casey Goodson Jr. Was

Known to his family as “Tank,” Goodson held an Ohio concealed carry permit and was legally armed, according to Columbus police.{⁵} A review of court records showed no criminal history beyond minor traffic offenses.{³} He worked at Gap Inc.{⁶} On the day he was killed, he had picked up sandwiches for his five-year-old brother and his 72-year-old grandmother on the way home from the dentist.{}

A witness driving nearby, Christopher Corne, later testified that shortly before the shooting he saw Goodson appearing to dance and sing in his truck.{¹}

Who Jason Meade Was

Meade was a 25-year law enforcement veteran and a U.S. Marine who served as a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy. He retired from the department in 2021, the year after the shooting.{⁷}

A 2018 sermon Meade gave at a conference for Free Will Baptist pastors became a flashpoint. He described his fugitive task force work as “hunting people,” saying, “It’s a great job, I love it.” He told the audience, “I learned long ago I got to throw the first punch. And I learned long ago why I’m justified in throwing the first punch.” He also said, “Don’t look up here like ‘police brutality.’ People I hit you wish you could hit, trust me.” The recording was later taken down by the Ohio Free Will Baptist Association. Prosecutors were able to use the sermon only in the first trial, when Meade took the stand; because he did not testify at the retrial, the recording could not be introduced.{⁸}

The Autopsy

Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz released preliminary findings on December 9, 2020, determining that Goodson died from “multiple gunshot wounds to the torso” and ruling the death a homicide.{⁹} The full autopsy, released March 17, 2021, confirmed six gunshot wounds: five to the back and one to the right buttock.{¹⁰}

The Two Trials and the Reckless Homicide Conviction

Meade was charged with murder and reckless homicide. Both counts were tried in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas before Judge David Young.{¹}

The first trial took place in February 2024, more than three years after the shooting. Meade testified over two days, arguing the shooting was justified because Goodson had waved a gun at him as their vehicles passed. Witness Christopher Corne testified he did not see a gun in Goodson’s hand, though the defense challenged his account. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on either charge, and Judge Young declared a mistrial.{¹¹}{¹²}

Jury selection for the retrial began April 20, 2026, again before Judge Young. The jury consisted of nine women and three men. Meade did not testify, which kept the 2018 sermon out. Prosecutors called use-of-force expert Seth Stoughton as a rebuttal witness rather than in their main case, and they introduced a voluntary statement Meade had given investigators along with FBI vehicle reenactment videos the first jury had never seen.{¹¹}{¹³}

Special prosecutor Tim Merkle argued the shooting was unjustified: Goodson was shot six times in the back while entering his home, posed no imminent threat, and his gun was holstered with the safety engaged. The prosecution also pointed to inconsistencies in how Meade had described Goodson’s movements. Defense attorneys Mark Collins and Kaitlyn Stephens called the shooting a “justified tragedy” and framed Meade’s actions as reasonable from an officer’s perspective.{¹³}

On May 7, 2026, the jury found Meade guilty of reckless homicide, a third-degree felony. Jurors could not reach a unanimous decision on the murder charge, and Judge Young declared a mistrial on that count.{¹⁴} Family attorney Sean Walton said ten of the twelve jurors wanted to convict on murder.{¹⁵} The judge revoked Meade’s bond and ordered him into custody at the Franklin County jail.

Sentencing and the Unresolved Murder Charge

Reckless homicide is a third-degree felony in Ohio carrying a maximum prison sentence of 36 months. Prosecutors filed a sentencing memorandum requesting the maximum.{¹⁶} Meade’s attorneys asked for probation, citing Franklin County and other Ohio cases in which reckless homicide convictions resulted in probation.{¹²}

Sentencing was first scheduled for June 16, 2026 and then moved to June 30. The delay is tied to the unresolved murder charge. Meade’s defense argued sentencing cannot lawfully proceed while the murder count is still open, because double jeopardy could bar a third trial on murder if sentencing on the reckless homicide conviction happens first.{¹⁷}

As of late June 2026, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office said “no decision has been made regarding the unresolved count of Murder.” Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor announced she would bring the case in-house, replacing the special prosecutors with First Assistant Bob Krapenc going forward. Favor said the move “allows us to maintain full oversight of the case and make decisions regarding next steps.” Meade remains incarcerated.{¹²}

The $7 Million Civil Settlement

On December 2, 2021, the Goodson family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Meade and Franklin County, asserting excessive force, wrongful death, and systemic misconduct claims.{¹⁸} The family was represented by Sean Walton of Walton + Brown, LLP and by Friedman Gilbert + Gerhardstein.{¹⁹}

On July 30, 2024, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a $7 million settlement resolving all civil claims. The settlement did not include an admission of liability or guilt by the county.{²⁰}

Body Cameras and Public Response

Goodson’s death came months after the police killing of George Floyd. On December 11, 2020, more than 300 protesters gathered at the Franklin County Government Center and marched to the Ohio Statehouse. U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty told the crowd, “Casey’s name should be the last name.” Demonstrators held Subway sandwiches overhead in tribute to what Goodson had been carrying.{⁴}{²¹}

The absence of body camera footage became a central grievance. On December 16, 2020, less than two weeks after the shooting, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners approved $2.5 million for the Sheriff’s Office to buy body cameras. Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said the investment would “lead to greater transparency.” Commissioners had begun discussing camera funding in June 2020 during the national protests, but the Goodson shooting accelerated the timeline.{²²}

After the May 2026 verdict, Goodson’s mother, Tamala Payne, called the outcome “emotional and bittersweet.” “I don’t even like to say he murdered Casey — he executed Casey,” she said, adding that “to have him convicted of something is still a great feeling.” Payne said she had spent more than a year posting daily memories of her son online to counter any narrative casting him as a criminal. “From the beginning, I said I will not allow them to taint Casey or his character or who he was.”{¹⁵}

1
CNN. Former Ohio Deputy Found Guilty of Reckless Homicide in Shooting of Casey Goodson Jr.
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CNN. US Marshal Says Deputy Was Acting on His Own When He Fatally Shot Casey Goodson Jr.
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CNN. Casey Goodson Jr. Family Speaks Out
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Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. Protestors Gather Downtown After Officer-Involved Death of Casey Goodson Jr.
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ABC7. Casey Goodson Jr. Shooting in Columbus, Ohio
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Smoot Funeral Services. Casey C. Goodson Jr. Obituary
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Spectrum News 1. Ohio Jason Meade Trial Verdict
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Norwalk Reflector. Deputy Who Killed Casey Goodson Has Used Faith to Justify Use of Force Before
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The Columbus Dispatch. Coroner: Casey Goodson Shot Multiple Times in Torso
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Friedman Gilbert + Gerhardstein. Final Coroner Report in Fatal Shooting of Casey Goodson Jr. Released
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NBC4i. What Are the Differences Between the Two Jason Meade Trials
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The Columbus Dispatch. Prosecutor on Jason Meade Third Trial
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The Columbus Dispatch. Jason Meade Murder Trial
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ABC News. Former Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade Convicted of Reckless Homicide
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Yahoo News. Mother of Casey Goodson Jr. Reflects on Verdict
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NBC4i. State Recommends Maximum Sentence for Ex-Deputy Jason Meade
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WOSU. Jason Meade’s Lawyers Ask Judge to Delay Sentencing
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Friedman Gilbert + Gerhardstein. Family of Casey Goodson Jr. Obtains $7 Million Settlement
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Walton + Brown. Family of Casey Goodson Jr. Reaches Historic $7 Million Settlement With Franklin County
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WOSU. Franklin County Commissioners to Vote on $7 Million Settlement in Casey Goodson Jr. Death
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The Washington Post. Fatal Shooting of Casey Goodson Reignites Scrutiny of Efforts to Overhaul Policing
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WOSU. Franklin County Approves $2.5 Million for Sheriff’s Office to Buy Body Cameras