Jason Meade Convicted of Reckless Homicide, Mistrial on Murder

A jury in Columbus, Ohio, convicted former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Jason Meade of reckless homicide on Thursday in the retrial over his fatal shooting of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. in December 2020. The panel deadlocked on the more serious murder charge, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial on that count and revoke Meade's bond.

The incident occurred on December 4, 2020, when Meade, then 47 and working with U.S. Marshals Service on a fugitive search, pursued Goodson after their vehicles passed each other. Prosecutors said Goodson, who had attended a dentist appointment, was carrying a bag of Subway sandwiches and keys while listening to music through AirPods as he entered his grandmother's home. Goodson, a licensed gun owner with a concealed carry permit, was shot six times, five in the back and one in the side, and died on the kitchen floor. His gun was found under his body with its safety mechanism engaged and in a holder beneath his belt, according to investigators. No body camera footage captured the event, as deputies lacked such equipment at the time, and no other witnesses reported seeing Goodson with the weapon in hand.