COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former Franklin County deputy was convicted of reckless homicide in the 2020 fatal shooting of Casey Goodson Jr., while jurors remained deadlocked on a murder charge tied to the case, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
A Franklin County jury found Jason Meade, 47, guilty on May 7 of the third-degree felony charge after roughly eight days of testimony and deliberations that stretched into a second day. The jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the murder charge, resulting in a mistrial on that count.
Franklin County Common Pleas Judge David Young revoked Meade’s bond following the verdict and ordered him into custody at the Franklin County jail. Sentencing is scheduled for July 16. Meade faces up to three years in prison, according to the Dispatch.
The shooting happened Dec. 4, 2020, after Meade said he saw Goodson holding a handgun with an extended magazine while inside a vehicle. According to Meade’s statement to investigators, he turned his vehicle around and followed Goodson, who was walking toward a residence while carrying a firearm in one hand and a plastic bag in the other.
Meade told investigators he repeatedly ordered Goodson to show his hands and drop the weapon. He said Goodson then turned and pointed the handgun at him, prompting Meade to fire six rounds from his department-issued rifle, the Dispatch reported.
Investigators recovered a handgun with an extended magazine near where Goodson fell inside the house. Goodson later died at a nearby hospital.
Jurors heard testimony from 23 witnesses during the trial, including evidence related to the shooting scene, use-of-force questions and the events leading up to the encounter. Meade did not testify during the trial, but jurors reviewed his written statement provided to investigators after the shooting.
The case previously went to trial in February 2024, but jurors in that proceeding were also unable to reach a unanimous verdict.
Prosecutors have not announced whether they plan to retry Meade on the unresolved murder charge, according to the Dispatch.
Meade retired from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in 2021, the Associated Press reports.
Following the verdict, Brian Steel, president and chief executive of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, said he respects the jury’s decision but was disappointed with the outcome, according to the Associated Press. He said he hopes prosecutors do not pursue a third trial on the murder charge.
“This was a long six years drawn out. This is the second trial,” Steel said. “For the sake of not only the Meade family, the Goodson family and the community, I hope we don’t try to do a third trial on this murder charge.”
