COLUMBUS, OH – It has almost been a year since a retired deputy from the Columbus Ohio Sheriff’s Office shot and killed Casey Goodson, a black man, who allegedly was trying to enter his grandmother’s residence with a bag from Subway.
In that year, prosecutors have allegedly gathered enough evidence to charge the former deputy with murder.
The Ohio sheriff's deputy who fatally shot Casey Goodson Jr. in the back five times was charged with murder. Jason Meade, who is white, shot Goodson, who was Black. The case is largely unexplained and involved no body camera or dash cam footage. https://t.co/scC5yOR5Sh
— The Associated Press (@AP) December 2, 2021
The former Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy, Jason Meade, was formally charged with two counts of homicide and one count of reckless homicide in the death of Goodson.
According to the indictment, the two counts of homicide are both for the killing of Goodson, one count for the actual death and the second “as a proximate result of the offender committing or attempting to commit an offense of violence.”
Meade, who retired from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office in July on some type of unspecified disability, surrendered himself to authorities. He was later released on a $250,000 bond and is currently awaiting trial.
The shooting death happened in December of 2020 when Meade, who was a SWAT deputy assisting the US Marshals Service, had been a part of a team searching for wanted fugitives.
When they decided to end their day after not being able to locate the person(s) they were searching for, Meade allegedly saw Goodson drive by and waving a gun.
Mead left the group, donned a ballistic vest, and went after Goodson who was already in the front yard of his grandmother’s residence. Mead challenged Goodson who, according to Mead, faced him with a gun in his hand. Mead gave several commands for Goodson to drop the gun, and when he did not, fearing for his life, he opened fire.
Last year, a young Black man was unlocking his front door, bringing Subway sandwiches home, when a deputy shot him 6 times in the back and butt. He died. The deputy has now been charged with murder.https://t.co/sdMdXMxiT7
— Celeste Headlee (@CelesteHeadlee) December 2, 2021
The gunshots that Meade fired struck Goodson who fell to the ground. Officers immediately rendered aid and had Goodson transported to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.
The US Marshal for the Southern District of Ohio, Peter Tobin, reported the officer-involved shooting in December of 2020 and commented that Goodson was armed with a gun when the shots were fired.
He also advised that a firearm was recovered at the scene but declined to note where it was located.
Tobin would later retract his statement and claim that he made them with “insufficient information” that he had at the time. Tobin then clarified that Meade was not performing any duties in the capacity of the US Marshal’s office when the shooting occurred.
Meade’s account of the events immediately came under fire from local activists and family members of Goodson. They claim that Goodson only had a bag from Subway in his hands and a set of keys when the shots were fired.
They also allude that if Goodson did have a gun on him, he was legally allowed to do so under Ohio law.
The information provided by Meade was further cast in doubt when the family released the alleged medical examiner’s report for the autopsy of Goodson. That report noted that Goodson was shot a total of six times, all from behind.
Goodson’s family wants the public to believe that he was shot, in cold blood, by Meade. And while that may be true (a jury will decide), Meade’s attorney, Mark Collins, has released his client’s account of what occurred on that day.
BREAKING NEWS: Former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Jason Meade has been indicted with the murder of Casey Goodson Jr.https://t.co/cmcelNh9fn
— WSYX ABC 6 (@wsyx6) December 2, 2021
According to Collins, after Meade saw Goodson pointing a gun at another driver, he got into his police vehicle and attempted to apprehend Goodson. When Meade exited his patrol vehicle, he put on his tactical vest and identified himself as law enforcement.
Meade followed Goodson as he approached his Grandmother’s residence and reportedly saw that he was carrying a gun in one hand and a plastic bag in the other. Meade allegedly identified himself as law enforcement and ordered Goodson to drop the weapon several times, one of which was heard by an independent witness.
Meade claims that when Goodson failed to drop the gun and pointed the gun at him, he opened fire, fearing that he or someone inside the residence where Goodson was would be the subject of deadly force.
If Meade is telling the truth, he is alleging he had no choice but to open fire.
Brian Steel, the Vice President for the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, calls the timing of the indictment suspicious. He said:
“This morning we learned Retired Franklin County Deputy Jason Meade was charged with murder and reckless homicide…As we have stated before, we believe every citizen deserves due process, and a law enforcement officer is no different.
We respect the Franklin County Grand Jury process and thank the citizens of our great community who comprise it.
However, it is not lost on us that this announcement comes only days before the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting and planned protest this Saturday at City Hall…We continue to stand by Retired Deputy Mead and await the outcome of the Jury Trial.”
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Officer charged with manslaughter after man who attacked cops dies in prison four years after incident
San Francisco Police Officer Kenneth Cha stands charged with voluntary manslaughter and assault with a semiautomatic firearm, along with enhancements accusing him of inflicting great bodily injury, in the death of Sean Moore, a man he shot during a physical confrontation on Jan. 6, 2017.
Officer Cha’s arrest becomes only the second homicide prosecution against an on-duty law enforcement officer in San Francisco history.
Moore was shot on the steps of his home in the 500 block of Capitol Avenue in the city’s Oceanview neighborhood after officers responded to a 4 a.m. noise complaint from a neighbor who had a restraining order against him.
The incident began with a 911 call from the neighbor reporting that Moore was violating a temporary the restraining order prohibiting noise harassment. The neighbor claimed Moore was banging on walls inside the apartment building. Officers Cha and Colin Patino responded.
Officer Patino obtained a copy of the restraining order from the neighbor, and officers proceeded upstairs to make contact with Moore.
Moore denied harassing his neighbor, indicated he knew about the order, and explained that he had not been violating it as he had just been sweeping his stairs and removing his trash, prosecutors said.
The DA’s office said that Moore instructed the officers to leave, but “the officers refused.”
Events quickly escalated when officers ordered Moore to exit his residence, according to prosecutors.
Police said Moore was combative with officers. Police said during the confrontation he kicked an officer in the face, retreated back into the house, then came back out and punched another officer who was wielding a baton before advancing on Cha who opened fire, hitting Moore twice.
The shooting lacerated Moore’s liver and struck his right colon, scarring internal organs and causing severe abdominal adhesions. Moore died in January 2020 while an inmate at San Quentin. The coroner’s office indicated the cause of death was homicide and that he died from acute intestinal obstruction as a result of the bullet wounds.
DA Boudin said in a statement announcing the arrest:
“We rely on officers to follow their training and to deescalate situations; instead, in just eight minutes, Officer Cha elevated a nonviolent encounter to one that took Sean Moore’s life. Sean Moore was unarmed and at his own home when Officer Cha shot him twice.
“After a thorough investigation, my office is holding Officer Cha accountable for the death of Sean Moore, whom he lacked a lawful basis to even arrest.
When officers inflict unwarranted violence in flagrant disregard of their training, it denigrates the hard work of other police officers and shatters the trust our community places in law enforcement. Rebuilding that trust requires us to hold those officers who inflict unlawful violence accountable.”
Cha’s attorney, Scott Burrell, called the decision to file charges surprising and disappointing. He noted that Boudin is likely to face a recall election soon:
“The facts of this case have never changed. Officer Cha lawfully shot his firearm while defending himself and his partner against a dangerous and violent assault. Only naked politics at best are at play here.”
In October, efforts to recall the controversial DA moved forward when campaign organizers submitted 83,000 petition signatures to the city’s Department of Elections. The signatures are about 32,000 more than required.
Criticisms over Boudin’s approach on criminal justice reform have gained traction in recent months. This is the second recall effort against him. The first effort, led by a former Republican San Francisco mayoral candidate, failed to secure enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
The San Francisco Police Officers Association said they support Cha, with union president Tony Montoya issuing a statement:
“Officers responded to a call for service and encountered the very hostile Sean Moore who was accused of violating a restraining order.
“We support Officer Cha’s constitutionally protected right to present his defense against these charges that stemmed from this extremely volatile incident that an autopsy concluded took Mr. Moore’s life while he was serving time in prison on another matter.”
Civil rights attorney John Burris, who represented Moore’s family, praised the charges against the officer:
“This was a very minor event. If the police officer had de-escalated, it wouldn’t have happened. He created the confrontation, created a conflict and shot his way out of it.
“I think it’s important for the community to know that the DA’s office, wherever, they will look at the cases more closely than not. You can improve the relationship between the police and community if the community knows that the police are going to be held accountable.”
The family claims Moore suffered from mental illness at the time of his shooting. In June, Moore’s family was awarded $3.25 million in a lawsuit settlement paid by the city.
Officer Patino was not charged in the incident. The DA’s office said any charges that would relate to his actions exceeded the state’s statute of limitations.
Editor note: In 2020, we saw a nationwide push to “defund the police”. While we all stood here shaking our heads wondering if these people were serious… they cut billions of dollars in funding for police officers. And as a result, crime has skyrocketed – all while the same politicians who said “you don’t need guns, the government will protect you” continued their attacks on both our police officers and our Second Amendment rights.
And that’s exactly why we’re launching this national crowdfunding campaign as part of our efforts to help “re-fund the police”.
For those looking for a quick link to get in the fight and support the cause, click here.
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