Family of Ohio Man Fatally Shot by Deputy to Receive $7 Million

Franklin County on Tuesday approved a settlement for the family of Casey Goodson Jr., who was fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy in 2020.

Officials in Ohio on Tuesday approved a settlement of $7 million for the family of Casey Goodson Jr., who was fatally shot in 2020 by a sheriff’s deputy who was searching for a fugitive but encountered Mr. Goodson instead.

The settlement, which was approved by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, resolves the family’s lawsuit against the county. But the settlement is “in no way an admission of liability” by Franklin County, the county sheriff’s office and Michael Jason Meade, the sheriff’s deputy who shot Mr. Goodson, according to the resolution passed by the commissioners.

Mr. Meade still faces a murder charge against him in the shooting of Mr. Goodson, 23, who was shot in the doorway of his house in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 4, 2020.

Lawyers for the family of Mr. Goodson said in a statement on Tuesday that the settlement would allow the family to “concentrate fully on the upcoming murder retrial” of Mr. Meade.

“While no amount of money can ever compensate for the loss of Casey, this settlement is a crucial acknowledgment of the profound impact his death has had on his family and the broader community,” the family’s lawyers said.

“Casey’s family continues to look forward to the upcoming criminal trial and are confident that Jason Meade will be convicted of the crimes he committed when he murdered Casey,” said Sarah Gelsomino, a lawyer for the family.

Mark Collins, a lawyer for Mr. Meade, declined to comment on Tuesday.

Mr. Meade was initially charged in December 2021 on two counts of murder and one count of reckless homicide in the shooting of Mr. Goodson. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, court records show. Before he was charged, Mr. Meade left the sheriff’s office on disability retirement in July 2021.

In a criminal trial for Mr. Meade in February in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict and a mistrial was declared, court records show.

Prosecutors dropped one murder charge against Mr. Meade, but they intend to retry him on the other felony murder charge and on a count of reckless homicide, court records show. A new trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 31.

Mr. Goodson was on his way home from a dentist appointment on Dec. 4, 2020, when he was confronted by Mr. Meade, who was part of a fugivite task force searching for someone else, according to the Goodson family’s legal team. Lawyers for Mr. Meade have said that Mr. Meade followed Mr. Goodson to his home because he was “erratically” waving a firearm while driving home.

Mr. Goodson pointed the gun at Mr. Meade, who opened fire because he feared for his life, Mr. Meade’s lawyers said. Mr. Goodson did not have a criminal history, and he was licensed to carry a concealed weapon, the Goodson family’s legal team has said. An autopsy report found that Mr. Goodson had died of several gunshot wounds to his torso.