COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A final coroner's report classified Casey Goodson Jr.'s death as a homicide, saying the 23-year-old died after being shot five times in the back by an Ohio sheriff's deputy.
The final autopsy confirmed statements previously made by the victim's family that he died after Jason Meade shot him multiple times in the back and torso.
The Associated Press reported that Meade was working as part of the U.S. Marshals Office fugitive task force the day of the shooting and had been unsuccessfully searching for a fugitive.
According to U.S. Marshal Peter Tobin, Meade confronted the victim outside his home on the day of the shooting after Goodson, who was not the fugitive search subject, drove by and waved a gun at Meade, The AP reported.
The AP reported that a witness heard Meade command Goodson to drop his gun, and when he didn’t, Meade shot him, Tobin said.
According to the family, Goodson was holding a sandwich, not a gun, The AP reported.
The Franklin County coroner listed the cause of death as a homicide. That's a medical determination used in cases where someone has died at someone else's hand, but not a legal finding.
It doesn't imply criminal intent. The case remains under criminal investigation.
Deputies were not wearing body-worn cameras at the shooting time and did not turn them back on until after the shooting occurred.
