After more than three years, the murder trial for former Franklin County Sheriff鈥檚 SWAT Deputy Jason Meade begins Monday with jury selection.
Meade shot Casey Goodson Jr. in December 2020, but the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear.
Meade was with a U.S. Marshall鈥檚 task force on an unsuccessful fugitive search when he claims he saw Goodson in a car waving a gun. Even though Goodson was not the subject of the search, Meade pursued Goodson to a family home in the Northland area.
Outside the home, Meade shot Goodson six times in the back. Meade claims Goodson ignored requests to drop the gun.
Goodson鈥檚 family maintains he was holding deli sandwiches 鈥� not a gun.
Three years later, a jury will try to determine what Goodson was holding, whether he heard Meade's commands and ultimately whether Meade was justified in shooting him.
Meade, now 45, is white. Goodson, 23, was Black.
, Goodson鈥檚 mother, Tamala Payne, asked about 70 supporters to pray for the judge, the jury, the prosecution and even for Meade.
She said hating Meade would make all of them the same as him.
鈥淲hen we say we won't go in hating him. We will go in feeling no way towards him, while wanting him to be held accountable for what he did to Casey," she said.
There is no footage of the shooting, because the sheriff鈥檚 office did not use body cameras at the time.
Goodson had a legal concealed carry permit and police say they found a gun at the scene.
Meade鈥檚 defense attorney has said a witness heard the deputy command Goodson to drop the gun. Meade claims Goodson pointed the gun at him.
