An official autopsy report from the Franklin County Coroner’s office shows that Casey Goodson Jr. was shot six times in his torso, with five of the bullets entering from his back, according to the documents released Wednesday by Goodson’s family.
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Goodson, 23, was fatally shot on Dec. 4 as he attempted to enter his residence on the 3900 block of Estates Place in the Northland area. Franklin County Sheriff’s SWAT deputy Jason Meade, who fired the fatal shots, was not wearing a body camera. The sheriff’s office doesn’t have body cameras but is in the process of expediting the purchase of the technology in the wake of the fatal shooting.
Goodson’s family has said he was carrying sandwiches while unlocking a screen door to enter the home at the time he was shot. His mother, Tamala Payne, had previously said she was told by Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz that Goodson was shot six times.
The coroner’s report — given to Goodson’s family Wednesday and to The Dispatch on Thursday morning in response to a public records request — confirms that Goodson was shot six times, five of those entering his body in what the report describes as a “back-to-front” trajectory. The sixth bullet traversed Goodson’s body from his right side to his left side.
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Response from Goodson’s family
Goodson’s mother, Tamala Payne, said in a statement Wednesday night that the report confirms what she and her family have been saying since Goodson was shot.
“We have known since the moment we found him on the kitchen floor that he was murdered,” Payne said. “This report says it right there, Jason Meade murdered my son in his own home.”
On her social media page Wednesday morning, Payne, who along with her slain son is Black, posted a profanity-laced message about Meade, who is white. Payne stated in part and in all capital letters that Meade is a “cold-blooded coward (expletive) racist (expletive) murderer” and that “God will punish (his expletive) for every crooked thing.” Payne also said in her post that Meade “hunted and killed” Goodson “without question.”
A firearm was recovered at the scene, but information about exactly where that firearm was found has not been released.
A toxicology report included in the final report indicated Goodson had cannabis in his system at the time of his death.
Data: Franklin County has one of highest rates of fatal police shootings in Ohio and the U.S.
Calls for the arrest of deputy Jason Meade
Sean Walton, who is representing Payne and Goodson’s family, said Meade needs to be charged and arrested “with urgency.”
“This family and this city have been through enough trauma and our healing cannot begin until Meade is held accountable for this heinous act,” Walton said. “Jason Meade is a threat to the community and public safety each and every day that he continues to be free.”
Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack is awaiting the results of a federally led investigation of the shooting before deciding whether his office or outside prosecutor will take the case to a grand jury, Kayla Merchant, spokeswoman for Tyack, told The Dispatch on Thursday.
An outside prosecutor may have to be brought in because the county prosecutor’s office represents the sheriff’s office in civil proceedings, Tyack has said.
Meade’s attorney, Mark Collins, said Wednesday night he had not yet seen a copy of the autopsy report.
“It would be reckless and ignorant for me to comment on something I haven’t seen,” Collins said.
Other reactions from Columbus, Franklin County leaders
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, posting on Twitter late Wednesday night, said the autopsy results are “the last piece of the investigation.”
“It is time for a grand jury to examine the evidence and move toward justice and accountability in this tragic death,” Ginther wrote.
Meade is on administrative leave, and Franklin County Sheriff Dallas Baldwin said in a statement Wednesday night that he won’t take further action against Meade until after the U.S. Department of Justice and the Columbus Division of Police announce the findings of their investigations.
“Like everyone in our community, I want answers about Casey Goodson’s death as soon as possible. However, the coroner’s report today doesn’t provide all of the facts needed to give us those answers. Physical and forensic evidence from the scene, as well as statements from any witnesses, will be crucial in providing the clearest picture of what happened,” Baldwin said in the written statement. “I also want to emphasize that criminal investigations over the years have shown that the physical location of gunshot wounds alone do not always tell the entire story of what happened.”
The Columbus police Critical Incident Response Team began handling the investigation, which is now being overseen by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of Ohio in conjunction with Columbus police and the FBI. That investigation is a joint civil rights investigation.
If he were to be charged, Meade would be the second law enforcement officer to face charges for a shooting that occurred in December in Columbus.
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Former Columbus police officer Adam Coy is currently under indictment on charges of murder, felonious assault and dereliction of duty in relation to the death of 47-year-old Andre Hill, an unarmed Black man, who Coy shot on Dec. 22.
bbruner@dispatch.com
@bethany_bruner
