Opening statements: prosecution, defense argue if Jason Meade was justified

Whether former Franklin County Sheriff's deputy Michael Jason Meade shot Casey Goodson Jr. six times on December 4, 2020, was not in dispute during opening statements in Meade's trial Wednesday.

The theme both defense attorney Kaitlyn Stephens and Franklin County special prosecutor Gary Shroyer kept returning to was "justification."

"Six shots in the back with no reasonable basis for the defendant to perceive a threat," Shroyer said. "It's an unjustified shooting."

Shroyer said evidence shows Goodson's back was to Meade but Stephens alleged that Goodson was pointing his gun when Meade fired.

"You have to look at it from (Meade's) perspective. The law does not say you must put yourself in Mr. Goodson's place that day," Stephens said. "If Jason Meade believes that gun was pointed at him, if he saw that gun pointed at him, then this decision to use deadly force was reasonable and justified."

Meade, 45, a white man, faces murder and reckless homicide charges in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in connection with the fatal shooting of Goodson, a 23-year-old Black man.

After two days of jury selection narrowed down a special pool of more than 100 potential jurors, 12 jurors and four alternates were sworn in Tuesday on what would have been Goodson's 27th birthday. The jury is made up of four men and eight women. All 12 jurors appear to be white, with one Black man among the alternates.

Many of the jurors said during the jury selection process they heard about this case from the news media, but they and the public heard new details on Wednesday from both sides, including where Goodson's gun was found. According to Shroyer, it was next to him on the ground, unholstered and with the safety on.

Follow The Dispatch's live coverage here Trial begins in case of ex-deputy Jason Meade for fatally shooting Casey Goodson Jr.

Meade had been working as a member of a federal fugitive apprehension task force that day and officers had just dispersed in separate vehicles.

Stephens alleged Goodson drove by Meade at the intersection of Karl Road and Ferris Road while waving a handgun with an extended clip around animatedly, pointing it "every which way" and at Meade’s unmarked vehicle. Goodson had a concealed carry license to carry a gun.

Meade followed Goodson a short distance to a home on the 3900 block of Estates Place in North Linden, where Goodson resided with his grandmother and other family.

Prosecution opening

Shroyer said that Goodson was returning from a dentist appointment after picking up Subway sandwiches. Goodson parked the car he was driving on the wrong side of the road in front of the home and went through the fence to the side door —  both usual practices for the family, according to Shroyer.

Goodson's family has said he was wearing earbuds at the time.

Evidence and expert testimony will show, Shroyer said, that all six bullets that struck Goodson went through the metal storm door he was holding open as he opened the main door into the home.

As Shroyer said Goodson fell face down into the home's kitchen, Goodson's mother, Tamala Payne, and her supporters sitting in the courtroom gallery wiped away tears.

Shroyer said Goodson's gun was found next to him on the floor out of the holster he wore, which did not have a strap to keep the gun in.

According to Shroyer, a responding officer's body camera captured the first explanation Meade gave after the shooting.

"When explaining, (Meade said) quote, 'He came out the street, gun in his hand. Going to the side door, he was going in with a gun in his hand,'" Shroyer said. "What he didn't say was 'I was afraid.'"

Defense opening

Stephens alleged Wednesday that Meade turned on the safety lights on his vehicle as he pursued and put on his U.S. Marshal's tactical vest, but Goodson looked at him and took off running.

"This becomes a potential active threat situation as a gunman is now running loose through a neighborhood and the police just lost sight of him," said Stephens, who noted a school is close by.

After Meade parked his truck, he repeatedly announced he was police and told Goodson to drop his weapon, according to Stephens. She said another officer and a neighbor will testify to this during the trial.

Stephens said Wednesday that before Goodson entered the home, he turned and looked at Meade and again pointed his gun at the officer. She said Meade fired six bullets with a single trigger pull on his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle.

"It is every officer's worst nightmare to stare down the barrel of a gun," Stephens said. "This was an actual threat."

Meade shot Goodson six times, with five of the bullets striking him in his back and one striking him in his side.

Stephens said that, unlike what Shroyer promised, evidence and testimony will not be able to show exactly where Goodson was standing. She alleged the wounds are consistent with Goodson turning toward Meade.

Meade's attorney also noted that Goodson's gun was found within arm's reach.

How a jury was selected

Since this shooting received a lot of local and national media attention and law enforcement shootings of Black people in recent years have been a flashpoint, the process of selecting a jury from a random pool of registered voters in Franklin County was more involved than in most trials.

Jurors came in last week and filled out a 99-question juror questionnaire, obtained by The Dispatch, which included simple demographic questions about age and gender, as well as questions how much they may already know about the case from the news or social media and their opinions on "Black Lives Matter" or the "Blue Lives Matter" movements.

Jurors were brought into the courtroom individually on Monday morning to answer follow-up questions based on their questionnaires.

Young dismissed some jurors if they could not sit through a two-week trial for whatever reason such as needing to work, if he determined they were unlikely to remain unbiased or if they were otherwise unsuitable.

For example, on Tuesday morning, a potential juror came forward and said he could not be impartial because he has friends in law enforcement. Young dismissed him.

Attorneys also asked the jury pool questions Tuesday before each side got to pick several jurors to dismiss. Defense attorneys dismissed three potential jurors and the prosecutors dismissed five potential jurors.

Tim Merkle, one of the special prosecutors appointed by Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack, asked potential jurors how they would determine the credibility of witnesses, whether law enforcement officers are inherently more trustworthy and whether they would believe a statement given immediately after an incident more than one given later.

Merkle also asked the juror pool if they used earbuds or had a concealed carry license.

One of Meade's defense attorneys, Mark Collins, talked with potential jurors about how the law states they have to consider Meade's perspective — but not Goodson's perspective — when deciding if Meade was reasonable in believing he was in imminent danger when he shot Goodson.

After talking about how witnesses might remember things differently but aren't necessarily lying, Collins played a video for the potential jurors. Prosecutors objected, but Judge Young overruled their concerns. Collins told the jury pool to count the number of times the people wearing white shirts in the video passed a basketball.

The video was produced as part of an experiment at Harvard University during which a person in a gorilla costume walks through the middle of the game, but many viewers focus on the basketball and don't notice the gorilla.

Meade's trial is expected to last two weeks. After opening statements Wednesday, the jury will be taken on Wednesday afternoon to see the home where Meade shot Goodson. The first witnesses in the case will be called on Thursday.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Prosecution, defense argue if officer shooting was justified in openings