The family of an Ohio man who was shot and killed by a former sheriff’s deputy will receive $7 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit over the December 2020 shooting. The Franklin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the settlement late last month. Casey Goodson Jr.
, 23, was shot multiple times in December 2020 as he tried to enter his grandmother’s Columbus home. His death — one of several involving Black people killed by white Ohio law enforcement officers over the past decade — sparked national outrage and cries for police reform. Goodson’s family issued a statement calling the settlement historic.
“The settlement allows Casey’s family to resolve their civil claims against Franklin County, enabling them to concentrate fully on the upcoming murder retrial of Michael Jason Meade,” family attorney Sean Walton said. “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.” Meade was charged with murder and reckless homicide , but a mistrial was announced in February when a jury couldn’t agree on a verdict, ending tumultuous proceedings that saw four jurors dismissed.
Prosecutors soon announced he would face a retrial, which is scheduled to start Oct. 31, but they have since dropped one of the two murder counts he faced. Meade has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have said the prosecution’s d.