Judge: Deputy who killed Casey Goodson not a federal agent

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS
Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A judge has ruled that a white Ohio sheriff’s deputy wasn’t acting in his capacity as a deputized federal agent when he fatally shot Casey Goodson Jr. Defendant Jason Meade was charged last year with murder and reckless homicide in the fatal December 2020 shooting of Goodson, who was Black. The federal judge on Thursday ruled Meade should be tried in state court. Meade’s attorneys had wanted the case tried in federal court as a step toward having the state charges dismissed, and because it was far less likely Meade would be charged with killing Goodson under federal law. The ruling was a victory for prosecutors who want the case to remain in state court. Meade has pleaded not guilty.