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Family members are calling for a Franklin County Sheriff鈥檚 Deputy to be arrested and charged with murder in the killing of Casey Goodson Jr.

鈥淗e was just a Black man coming home from a dentist鈥檚 appointment,鈥� said Tamala Payne, Goodson鈥檚 mother, at a Thursday press conference. "He didn鈥檛 do anything. And he was killed and murdered, cold-bloodedly, in a violent manner.鈥�

Federal and local authorities are each conducting investigations into last Friday鈥檚 fatal shooting of Goodson by Franklin County Sheriff鈥檚 Deputy Jason Meade, but family members say the case has been mishandled from the start.

Lawyers representing Goodson's family says that law enforcement has treated Goodson, who is Black, as a suspect, while treating Meade, who is white, as the victim.

鈥淐asey is not a suspect in any way shape or form,鈥� said lawyer Sean Walton. 鈥淐asey is someone who was killed on his kitchen floor simply because he is a Black man and his skin was weaponized.鈥�

Walton said that Meade pointed his gun at Goodson鈥檚 uncle, holding his 3-year-old daughter, and told him to 鈥済et out of this house before I shoot you too.鈥� Payne added that she was called a 鈥渂itch鈥� by a deputy at the scene, and that officers refused to provide basic information about her son's condition after the shooting.

Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin released a after the press conference, saying he will order an immediate internal review of whether his officers used inappropriate language.

"I am aware there was a large, multi-agency response to the scene, but if one of my deputies used such language at the scene of any tragedy, it would be unacceptable and unbecoming of a law enforcement officer," Baldwin said. "No grieving family deserves to be insulted."

A lawyer for Meade, Mark Collins, put out a saying that authorities have the deputy's full cooperation in their investigation. 

"Last Friday, a mother lost a son, and siblings lost a brother based on the actions of our client while on duty," Collins said. "We, too, share in the frustration and heartbreak with the family鈥檚 loss, and as a parent, I cannot fathom losing a child. Our hearts go out to the family."

Details under dispute
Authorities Meade was conducting a search as part of a U.S. Marshal Service Fugitive Task Force when officers encountered Goodson, who was neither the suspect they were looking for nor the subject of any investigation.

"During an operation in the Northland area of Columbus, the deputy reported witnessing a man with a gun," Columbus Police said in a . "The deputy pursued that man, and there are reports of a verbal exchange. The deputy fired at Mr. Casey Goodson, Jr., resulting in his death."

Members of Goodson鈥檚 family alleged that he was shot in the back while entering his home, carrying a bag of sandwiches for his grandmother and brother.

According to Collins, Goodson pointed a weapon at the deputy.

"At no time did Deputy Meade mistake a sandwich for a gun," Collins said. "Mr. Goodson pointed his gun at Deputy Meade. There has been confirmation that our client gave verbal commands for Mr. Goodson to drop the gun."

The statement marks the first public comment from Meade's perspective, who Goodson's family called a "coward" for refusing to speak about the shooting.

A preliminary autopsy report by the Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz found Goodson died from multiple gunshots to the torso, and ruled his death a homicide. However, the preliminary autopsy does not indicate the directionality or number of bullet wounds. Ortiz says a full autopsy will be released in 12-14 weeks, and declined to comment further on the report.

Goodson鈥檚 family says they plan to commission an independent autopsy, as well.
Franklin County Sheriff鈥檚 deputies do not wear body cameras, and there is no available footage of the encounter between Meade and Goodson. Police say no first-hand witnesses have come forward, and Goodson鈥檚 family members say they did not overhear their conversation.

Authorities say a gun was recovered from the scene, but family members who were home at the time say they did not see a gun in Goodson鈥檚 hand or near his body after he was shot. Goodson did possess an up-to-date concealed carry license, and Walton said Goodson eagerly educated his family about gun safety and laws.

鈥淎s Black people in this country, our skin cannot be weaponized,鈥� Walton said. 鈥淲e have a country where if someone wants to protest at the Statehouse they can carry assault rifles, if their skin is white.鈥�

Multiple investigations
On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney David DeVillers the U.S. Department of Justice would assess whether any civil rights laws were violated in Goodson鈥檚 killing, saying he believed 鈥渁 federal investigation is warranted.鈥�

A separate investigation is ongoing from the Columbus Division of Police, which will then turn over evidence to the Franklin County Prosecutor. A local grand jury will make the decision about whether to charge Meade in the killing 鈥� a standard process for local police-involved shootings.

Sarah Gelsomino of the Cleveland law firm Friedman & Gilbert, which is also representing Goodson's family, said they鈥檙e hopeful about the Justice Department probe but consider the local investigation to already be tarnished.

鈥淲e remain extremely concerned that because of the way this investigation was mishandled from the moment of the shooting, that the entire investigation is forever tainted," Gelsomino said at the press conference. "The federal government has a very large hurdle here in order to be able to prove that the investigation into this case can be unbiased, and thorough and adequate. Because from the start, we know that it was in fact biased.鈥�

In a statement Thursday afternoon, Columbus Police Chief Tom Quinlan defended their investigation and responded to the Goodson family's criticisms.

"The difficult reality is, very often in police work, information and answers are necessarily, unavoidably slow to come," Quinlan wrote. "That is not in the interest of secrecy 鈥� it is in the interest of justice."

Quinlan said the department will continue to share new details about the case, as long as they don't "jeopardize" the investigation or the possibility for a "just outcome tomorrow."

"You have our strongest assurance that this will be an independent, meticulous, unbiased investigation with a singular focus: getting to the truth of what happened to Casey Goodson and why," Quinlan writes.

Protests over Goodson's killing are planned for the Ohio Statehouse at noon on Saturday, Dec. 12.

鈥淚 want everything done in peace,鈥� said Payne of the protests. 鈥淢y son was a peaceful man and I want his legacy to continue in peace. I am calling for justice. I want Jason Meade arrested. I want Jason Meade charged.鈥�

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