Federal agents joinColumbus police in shooting investigation
As federal authorities announced Tuesday they are joining Columbus police in the investigation into the death of a 23-year-old Black manwhowas shot by a sheriff’s deputy, many questions continue to go unanswered.
U.S. AttorneyDavid DeVillers announced Tuesday that the FBI, the Civil Rights Divisionof the Departmentof Justice and Columbus police’s Critical Incident Response Team will “review the facts and circumstances” surrounding the shooting death ofCaseyGoodsonJr. byFranklin County Sheriff ’s SWAT deputy JasonMeade last Friday afternoon.
DeVillers said in a statement that “appropriate action” will be taken “if the evidence indicates any federal civil rights laws were violated.”
Columbus police said they would investigatewhether or notMeade, a 17-year sheriff’s office veteran, was legally justified in the shooting. The FBI andU.S. Attorney’s office will investigatewhether any federal civil rights lawswere broken.
“I believe a federal investigation is warranted,” DeVillers said.
The announcement came 24 hours after a back-andforth exchange between Columbus police and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost overwhowouldleadtheoverall investigation into Goodson’s death.
Goodson was shot by Meade about 12:15 p.m. Fridayfollowinganunsuccessful search for a fugitive involving a U.S. Marshals task force.
Lawenforcement officials have said Goodson drove by after the plain-clothes deputies and agents had finished their unrelated operation on EstatesPlaceontheNortheast Side. Goodsonwas waving a firearm at police, according to their narrative of events. When confronted, Goodson did not drop the firearm and Meade shot him.
Goodson’s family has said he had a valid license for carrying a concealed weapon, which Columbus police confirmed, and that hewas carrying sub sandwiches while walking into his homewhen he was shot.
Columbus police have said a firearm belonging to Goodson was recovered at the scene, but information aboutwhere exactly the firearm was located has not yet been released.
Additional information regarding Goodson’s death, including the results of an autopsy being performed Tuesday, has also not been released. Goodson’s family hasclaimedhewasshotinthe back three times, however, the autopsy results have not been released to verify that.
Arepresentative of the coroner’sofficesaidTuesdaythat preliminary autopsy results would not be released and a final coroner’s reportwould not be available until at least six to eight weeks following the autopsy beingconducted.
The conflicting narratives have drawn statewide and national attention to the case since Friday afternoon, including fromOhio’s Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown.