Deputy who killed Casey Goodson not a federal agent

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot Casey Goodson Jr. was not performing in his function as a deputized U.S. marshal on the time of the taking pictures, and the homicide case towards the deputy should stay in state courtroom, a federal choose dominated Thursday in a victory for prosecutors who charged the deputy.

Defendant Jason Meade, who’s white, has pleaded not responsible to homicide and reckless murder within the 2020 dying of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. Goodson, who was Black, was shot as he entered his grandmother’s home following a dental appointment, in response to his household and prosecutors.

Meade didn’t have authority to arrest Goodson as a job drive member and was not performing as a federal officer on the time, federal Choose Edmund Sargus Jr. of the U.S. District Court docket, Southern District of Ohio dominated Thursday.

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“Meade’s solely authority to arrest Goodson got here from his state authority as a deputy sheriff to implement state regulation,” Sargus mentioned. “This case is correctly tried in state courtroom.” The choose mentioned throughout a Feb. 11 listening to it was the primary time he had dealt with such a case in 25 years on the bench.

Mark Collins, one in all Meade’s attorneys, mentioned he’s reviewing the ruling after which will determine whether or not to attraction.

Meade’s attorneys wished the case tried in federal courtroom as a step towards having the state fees dismissed, and since it was far much less possible Meade could be charged with killing Goodson beneath federal regulation. Franklin County prosecutors fought the transfer to maintain the costs alive in state courtroom.

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Meade was a full-time Franklin County Sheriff’s Division deputy on common project with a U.S. Marshals Service fugitive job drive instantly earlier than the taking pictures. Meade was completed along with his job drive assignments for the day when, he and his attorneys say, he noticed Goodson close by in a automotive waving a gun in a threatening method.

After following Goodson, a confrontation between the 2 led to Meade taking pictures Goodson six instances, together with 5 instances within the again, in response to Meade’s statements and the coroner’s post-mortem report.

Meade’s attorneys say the deputy fired when Goodson pointed a gun at him. Goodson’s household has by no means denied that Goodson might need had a gun on him however has additionally famous he had a license to hold a gun.

Goodson’s household says he was opening the door to his grandmother’s home holding a bag of sandwiches on the time he was shot. Investigators mentioned a gun was recovered from the scene however haven’t supplied additional particulars.

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Meade mentioned in an announcement taken shortly after the taking pictures that he yelled, “U.S. Marshals! It’s the police!” and “Present me your palms!” Meade retired from the sheriff’s division final yr on incapacity.

Within the days after Goodson’s dying, racial injustice protesters took to the streets of Ohio’s capital. A federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Goodson’s household alleges the Franklin County Sheriff’s Workplace failed to analyze claims of unreasonable drive towards Black residents and did not correctly practice deputies on firing weapons at civilians, “notably at African People.”

Meade’s wage was nonetheless paid by the county, and he was licensed solely to “search and execute arrest and search warrants” beneath his marshals’ project, in response to courtroom paperwork and testimony on the Feb. 11 listening to.

Instances of fugitives pursued by the duty drive have to be issued a federal identification quantity and the warrant verified earlier than a job drive member can take motion, Charles Sanso, a U.S. marshal who oversees 4 such operations in Ohio, testified Feb. 11. Neither state of affairs existed with Goodson, he mentioned.

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After reviewing Meade’s actions the day of the taking pictures, “We concluded that this was not a marshal service taking pictures,” mentioned Sanso, a witness known as by prosecutors.

When Meade noticed Goodson with the gun, an act that amounted to a state crime, “he was not exercising federal authority,” Elizabeth Ellis, a particular Franklin County prosecutor, informed the choose Feb. 11.

However Ryan Rosser, a present member of the Columbus fugitive job drive, testified on behalf of Meade that he couldn’t equivocally say whether or not Meade was performing as a sheriff’s deputy that day.

Meade’s attorneys hope to have him lined by immunity supplied to federal officers, which means his case couldn’t be tried in a state courtroom and the costs must be dismissed.

Meade has pleaded not responsible and is free on $250,000 bond.

The lawsuit filed by Goodson’s household towards Meade and the sheriff’s workplace additionally claims that Meade obtained a whole lot of hours of firearms and SWAT coaching however little on violence de-escalation strategies.

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“Casey was a resident of Franklin County, he was killed in Franklin County, and his dying was brought on by a sheriff’s deputy who swore an oath to guard and serve the folks of this neighborhood,” Goodson’s household mentioned in an announcement Thursday. “The info of this legal case needs to be heard and determined by a Franklin County jury.”