'I don't want to die:' Ex-deputy Jason Meade says in murder trial for shooting Casey Goodson

Former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Jason Meade finished testifying Wednesday at his murder trial, a day after describing and acting out for the jury what he alleges Casey Goodson Jr. did with a gun that led the deputy to fatally shoot the 23-year-old Columbus man.

Meade, 45, testified that he had no choice but to shoot Goodson after Goodson pointed a gun at him twice on Dec. 4, 2020.

"I thought he was going to shoot me," Meade said. "I’m thinking I don’t want to die."

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This is the second week of Meade's trial in Franklin County Common Pleas Court on murder and reckless homicide charges in connection with Goodson's death.

Meade was still being cross-examined by the prosecution Tuesday afternoon when the judge ended the trial for the day. Meade took the stand again on Wednesday morning and answered more questions.

What did Meade say when he testified on direct examination?

Meade was working on a federal fugitive task force on Dec. 4, 2020, serving a search warrant at a house on Estates Place, down the street from where Goodson lived. The matter had nothing to do with Goodson. After not finding their suspect, task force members left in different vehicles.

As he left, Meade testified that he saw a man, later identified as Goodson, drive past him while pointing a gun at him in his unmarked truck. Meade said Goodson was holding a pistol, making a "pumping" action and appeared to be saying something. He acted this out on the witness stand.

“It was very clear, I could see the weapon in his hand," Meade said.

Meade said he flinched when Goodson pointed a gun at him, and he aired over the radio what he saw to his fellow task force members. According to Meade and videos played at trial, Meade made a U-turn and pursued Goodson. He turned on flashing blue and red lights on his truck.

One of Meade's attorneys, Mark Collins, asked, "Why can't you just call it in?"

"I’m a law enforcement officer. It’s my duty to respond. That’s my job," Meade said. "Because the threat that he posed."

Meade said that during his pursuit, he pulled over on Estates Place and retrieved his tactical vest from the vault in his truck bed. He said he saw Goodson down the street, park on the wrong side of the street, and get out of his car.

“He had a plastic bag in his left hand, and in the right hand, he still had the gun," Meade said. "He saw me and took off."

Meade said he lost sight of Goodson. He said he got back in his truck and drove to the house where Goodson had ducked behind a fence.

Meade said he got out of his truck and repeatedly shouted that he was police and told Goodson to drop his weapon.

Earlier on Tuesday, Sheila Staniford testified that she lived on Estates Place at the time, and while her husband drove by, they overheard a man yelling, "put your gun down, put your gun down."

Meade said he stopped just outside the fence and saw Goodson at the side door with his back to him. Goodson had opened the storm door and was trying to enter the house, according to Meade.

While Meade continued to yell commands, Meade said Goodson dropped his shoulders.

"I thought he was going to surrender. I thought it was going to be over," Meade said. "At which point, he made a turn and pointed a gun back toward me."

Meade stood on the witness stand and turned away from the jury to demonstrate how he alleges Goodson acted.

Defense gets ahead of Meade's comments as a pastor

The defense team tried to get ahead of any accusations that Meade made insensitive comments as a pastor about using force. The special prosecutors had indicated they might bring up a recording of Meade, a pastor at Rosedale Free Will Baptist Church, speaking in 2018 to a group of fellow pastors.

The Dispatch reported in December 2020 that in that recording, Meade spoke about the Biblical story of David and Goliath and about how he is justified in throwing the first punch.

Collins asked Meade about comments he made at that conference. Meade explained, for example, that he said then, "I hunt people," in a reference to the TV show Manhunt.

What did Meade say when he testified on cross-examination?

On cross-examination, one of the special prosecutors, Gary Shroyer, asked Meade about differences between his testimony and the statement he gave in the weeks following the shooting. Shroyer said Meade previously stated Goodson's vehicle stopped in the intersection as he pointed a gun but, according to video, that wasn't true. Meade admitted he was wrong on that detail.

"You were mistaken as to what the driver of that car was doing," Shroyer said.

"No, he pointed his gun at me," Meade said. "There's no mistaking somebody pointing a gun at you. If anybody ever does it, you'll never forget it."

Shroyer asked Meade if he turned on his sirens, to which Meade said he did the best he could as fast as he could in the situation.

Shroyer also asked if Meade considered that the house could be Goodson's.

"I (didn't) understand why he parked the wrong way and then he bypassed the entire front of the house and then cut in an open gate. That made me believe this wasn't his place at all," Meade said. "I had no idea or no reason to think that this was his house at all."

What else happened?

The defense case began Tuesday with Collins reading a stipulation by the parties, or a fact that the prosecution and defense agree on.

Collins told the jury that around 10:15 a.m. on Dec. 4, 2020, Tamala Payne, Goodson’s mom, called her son and warned him that law enforcement had surrounded a house on Estates Place.

Goodson's grandmother testified last week that Payne had told her about law enforcement being on the street and that Payne had said she was going to call Goodson, too.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ex-deputy Jason Meade testifies at trial for killing Casey Goodson Jr.