Casey Goodson Jr. was carrying a bag of Subway sandwiches and his house keys. He had earbuds in, listening to music. He was walking into his grandmother’s front door. And then a former sheriff’s deputy shot him six times, five of those bullets entering his back.
On May 7, 2026, a jury in Columbus, Ohio, finally delivered a guilty verdict against former Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade. The charge: reckless homicide. The jury deadlocked on the more serious murder charge, and the judge declared a mistrial on that count. It took six years, two trials, and an exhausting legal fight to get here. For the family of Casey Goodson Jr., a 23-year-old Black man killed on his own doorstep in December 2020, the partial verdict brought tears of relief and a sense that the system, however slowly, moved in the direction of accountability.
What Happened on December 4, 2020
The shooting happened in the North Linden neighborhood of Columbus. Jason Meade, a 17-year veteran of the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department, had been working that day with a U.S. Marshals federal task force serving warrants. The task force’s work for the day was wrapping up. Casey Goodson Jr. was not the subject of any warrant. He was not being sought by anyone.
According to Meade’s account, he saw Goodson drive past him while waving and pointing a gun at other vehicles. Nobody else saw this happen. Meade made a U-turn and followed Goodson to his grandmother’s house, where Goodson lived with family members. What happened next is where the stories split apart.
Meade claimed that Goodson pointed a gun at him twice, once from the car and again at the doorway of the home. He said he ordered Goodson to drop his weapon and that Goodson refused. Meade then fired. Prosecutors, Goodson’s family, and the physical evidence told a very different story. According to his family and the prosecution, Goodson was holding a bag of Subway sandwiches in one hand and his keys in the other. He was wearing wireless earbuds and listening to music. There is a strong possibility he never even heard Meade’s commands.
Six Shots in the Back
The autopsy results were damning. Anne Shepler, chief deputy coroner with the Franklin County Coroner’s Office, testified that Goodson sustained six gunshot wounds. Five of them were in his back. One struck his buttocks. Three bullets exited his body. There was no evidence of close-range shooting.
Think about that for a second. Meade’s entire defense rested on the claim that Goodson was facing him and pointing a gun at him. But every bullet entered Goodson from behind. Special prosecutor Tim Merkle put it plainly during his closing argument: “So what evidence is there against the idea, the suggestion that Casey turned and pointed the gun? We can start with he’s got six shots in his back. They’re not in his front.”
A forensics biomechanics expert named Jeremy Bauer testified for the prosecution that Goodson was standing inside the house, at the level of the kitchen, when he was struck by all six bullets. Bauer went further, stating there was no physical configuration in which Goodson could be both standing in the house and aiming a gun at Meade in the way Meade described. The defense’s own expert, Geoffrey Desmoulin, conceded Goodson was likely inside the house but argued he may have been at the entrance threshold and could have turned away between the moment Meade saw the alleged gun and when Meade fired.
The Gun That Wasn’t in His Hands
Yes, Casey Goodson Jr. owned a gun. He had a concealed carry permit, which was found in his wallet. In Ohio, that’s perfectly legal. Nobody disputes this, not the prosecution, not the defense.
But prosecutors argued the gun was never in Goodson’s hands at the time of the shooting. They said evidence suggested it was in a flimsy holder tucked under his belt. After Goodson collapsed on his grandmother’s kitchen floor, the gun was found underneath his body. The safety mechanism was still engaged. That detail is critical. If someone is actively threatening you with a firearm, you’d expect the safety to be off. Prosecutors emphasized this point repeatedly during the trial.
No one other than Jason Meade testified that they saw Goodson holding a gun. Not one person. The prosecution made this the cornerstone of their case. “No one saw a gun until Casey was lying on the floor having been shot, other than Mr. Meade. No one,” Merkle told the jury during opening statements.
No Body Camera, No Video
One of the most frustrating aspects of this case is the total lack of video evidence. At the time of the shooting, Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies were not issued body-worn cameras. Meade was also driving an unmarked police vehicle. So there’s no dashcam footage either. The only video shown at trial was bodycam footage from officers who arrived after the shooting.
That absence of footage loomed over both trials. Without video, jurors had to weigh the physical evidence, expert testimony, and the accounts of witnesses against the word of a former deputy who claimed he acted in self-defense. In the first trial, Meade took the stand to tell his side. In the retrial, he chose not to testify.
Two Trials, Six Years, One Partial Verdict
Jason Meade was originally indicted on two counts of murder in December 2021, a full year after the shooting. One murder charge was later dropped. The first trial took place in early 2024. After two weeks of testimony, that jury also couldn’t agree, and a mistrial was declared. Reports indicated the split was 9 to 3 in favor of conviction on the murder charge.
The retrial opened on April 23, 2026, after several delays. The jury this time consisted of nine women and three men, with both Black and white jurors represented. The trial lasted approximately three weeks. Deliberations began on Wednesday, May 6, and continued into Thursday.
About two hours before the verdict was read, the jury sent a note to Judge David Young saying they believed it would be “impossible” to reach a unanimous decision. Young read them a Howard charge, which is a legal instruction that essentially tells jurors to keep trying. They went back, and this time they came out with the partial verdict: guilty of reckless homicide, deadlocked on murder.
What Happens Next for Jason Meade
Judge David Young revoked Meade’s bond immediately after the verdict was read. Meade, now 47, who retired from the sheriff’s department in 2021 and is also a Baptist pastor, is scheduled to be sentenced on July 16, 2026. Reckless homicide is a third-degree felony in Ohio. The sentencing range is nine to 36 months in jail under certain guidelines, with a maximum of five years in prison and fines of up to $10,000.
As for the murder charge, prosecutors haven’t decided yet whether to pursue a third trial. Special prosecutors Tim Merkle and Gary Schroyer said they’ll consult with Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor on the path forward. Brian Steel, president of FOP Lodge 9, said publicly after the verdict that he hopes there isn’t a third trial on the murder charge.
Meade’s defense team released a statement saying: “We don’t think it is reckless for an officer to use deadly force when someone points a gun at him. We understand the jury saw it differently, and we respect the process.”
A Family’s Long Fight
Casey Goodson Jr.’s family has been fighting for six years. In 2024, they reached a $7 million civil settlement in a federal civil rights lawsuit against Franklin County. The county was clear that the settlement was “in no way an admission of liability.” The family agreed to dismiss their federal lawsuit against Meade and the county in December 2024.
But the criminal case was always the one the family wanted most. Goodson’s mother, Tamala Payne, said after the verdict: “It’s hard to convict an officer guilty of murder, but I think the evidence presented is what the jury presented itself on.” Goodson’s pastor, Michael Young, described the scene in the courtroom as emotional. “It was tears of joy,” he said. “I don’t think there was a dry eye in the group to watch the weight be released off of that family because they have fought so hard.”
The Detail That Sticks With You
There are a lot of details in this case that are hard to process. The six shots in the back. The earbuds. The concealed carry permit. The safety still on. But the one that keeps coming back, the one that people remember every time this case is mentioned, is the sandwiches. Casey Goodson Jr. had just picked up Subway for his family. He was walking through the front door of his grandmother’s house with a bag of food. That image, a young man carrying sandwiches home to his family, shot from behind in the doorway, is the reason this case became a symbol. It’s the reason banners were hung from highway overpasses in Columbus reading “Justice for Casey Goodson Jr.” It’s the reason this story didn’t go away.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther said in a statement that his thoughts are with Goodson’s family and the community. “While people will continue to hold deeply felt views about today’s verdict, we must respect the role of the judicial system and the work of the jury,” Ginther said.
Reckless homicide. Not murder. After six years, that’s where things stand. Whether that feels like justice depends on who you ask.