Tamala Payne (centre) and attorney Sean Walton participate on December 11, 2020, protesting the fatal shooting of her son, Casey Goodson Jr., by a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy in Columbus, Ohio.
Doral Chenoweth / AP
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Doral Chenoweth / AP
Tamala Payne (centre) and attorney Sean Walton participate on December 11, 2020, protesting the fatal shooting of her son, Casey Goodson Jr., by a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy in Columbus, Ohio.
Doral Chenoweth / AP
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio Sheriff, who shot and killed Casey Goodson Jr. the remaining five were charged on Thursday with murder in an encounter that led to protests for racial justice, but the majority remained unexplained and did not involve body cameras or scenes. rotate the camera.
An attorney for the Goodson family, who is black, also announced a federal civil rights lawsuit against the now-retired white deputy minister who shot him, Jason Meade, and the Sheriff’s Office Franklin County, on charges of wrongful death and excessive use of force.
Goodson’s fatal shooting took place in Columbus on December 4, 2020, while Meade, a 17-year member of the sheriff’s office, was completing an unsuccessful search for the fugitive as part of his job. him for a task force of the United States Marshals Service.
Goodson is not the subject of a fugitive hunt. US Marshal Peter Tobin initially said Meade confronted Goodson after Goodson drove a car and swung a gun at the co-pilot, but he later retracted those comments, saying they were based on “insufficient information.” .”
Tobin also said Meade was “not on a mission” for officers at the time of the shooting.
Goodson was opening the door to his grandmother’s house when he was shot, relatives say
Relatives said Goodson was opening the door to his grandmother’s house at the time he was shot. Officials said a gun was recovered from the scene but did not provide further details.
The family said Goodson there’s a sandwich, not a gun, in his hand. But even though Goodson was carrying a gun, the family reiterated that he had a license to do so. The family had scheduled a press conference for Thursday.
The Franklin County coroner said in March that Goodson was shot five times in the back.
A judge scheduled a first hearing for Friday for Meade. A message was left seeking comment from Meade’s attorney, who previously said the coroner’s report had nothing to do with what really happened that day.
The case is still under criminal investigation by the US attorney’s office with help from the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
Goodson’s mother, Tamala Payne, said she was “overjoyed” by the indictment.
“It’s been a year of grief, a year of grief, a year of pain,” Payne said at a late-morning news conference, surrounded by several relatives. “But I know that every day this year, me and my family wake up and fight for what’s right.”
Goodson family files federal civil rights lawsuit
Also on Thursday, attorney Sean Walton announced the family’s wrongful death lawsuit against Meade and the sheriff’s office.
The lawsuit claims Meade received hundreds of hours of firearms and SWAT training but little in violence reduction techniques, despite the aide’s performances as a deputy, including being fired. placed in “no prisoner contact” status for nearly four years. The lawsuit did not provide details on the reasons for that placement.
A message was left with the sheriff’s office seeking comment on the lawsuit.
Although the shooting did not involve the Columbus police, which came at a time of heightened tensions over previous shootings of blacks by officers in the Ohio capital, the situation has worsened yet. full three weeks after a white Columbus police officer. shoot and kill 47-year-old Andre Hill when he came out of a garage with a cell phone.
That officer, Adam Coy, who was later fired, has pleaded not guilty to the murder and is scheduled to stand trial next year.
Massive protests followed Goodson’s shooting, with people shouting “Justice for Casey” as they blocked the downtown streets.
Meade retired on July 2 due to a disability. The deputy minister has been on administrative leave from the sheriff’s office since the shooting occurred.
Dallas Police Chief Baldwin previously said the autopsy did not “provide all necessary facts” and that he would wait until the criminal investigation is complete before pursuing any form of prosecution. any law for Meade.
Baldwin said Thursday that he has asked his staff to review the investigation when possible, to see what the agency can learn.
“This office has a professional obligation to do everything in its power to ensure our community and delegates are kept safe,” he said in a statement. “As I said at the outset, I pray for everyone involved in this tragedy.”
In June, Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack Appointment of two external prosecutors to investigate, as the district attorney’s office acts as legal counsel to the sheriff’s office and is expected to defend the county and law enforcement in this case.
