COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) 鈥 A former Ohio sheriff鈥檚 deputy charged in the killing of a Black man will face a retrial, prosecutors announced Thursday.
The decision comes just days after on a verdict in Jason Meade's first trial and the judge declared a mistrial, ending tumultuous proceedings that saw four jurors dismissed.
Special prosecutors Tim Merkle and Gary Shroyer and Montgomery County Assistant Prosecutor Josh Shaw, who were named to handle the case, issued a statement saying 鈥渋t is in the best interest of all involved and the community" to move forward with another trial. "(We) look forward to presenting what (we) believe is a strong and compelling evidentiary case in support of all the criminal charges against Mr. Meade.鈥
Meade was in the December 2020 killing of Casey Goodson Jr. in Columbus. Meade, who is white, has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers said they were not surprised by the prosecution鈥檚 decision.
鈥淭he political pressure to move forward with this case is palpable and will impede the ability of Jason Meade to get a fair trial," Mark Collins, Kaitlyn Stephens and Steven Nolder said in a statement issued Thursday. 鈥淗ow would you like to be presumed innocent and all of the elected officials in the county where you鈥檙e going to be retried have prejudged your case and adjudicated you guilty? ... The blood lust motivating a retrial is real and the state will once again seek their pound of flesh. However, the facts won鈥檛 change.鈥
It's not yet clear when the retrial will be held.
Meade shot Goodson six times, including five times in the back, as the 23-year-old man tried to enter his grandmother鈥檚 home. that Goodson waved a gun at him as the two drove past each other so he pursued Goodson because he feared for his life and the lives of others. He said he eventually shot Goodson because the young man turned toward him with a gun.
Goodson鈥檚 family and prosecutors have said he was holding a sandwich bag in one hand and his keys in the other when he was fatally shot. They do not dispute that Goodson may have been carrying a gun and note he had a license to carry a firearm.
Goodson鈥檚 weapon was found on his grandmother鈥檚 kitchen floor with the safety mechanism engaged.
There is no body camera video of the shooting, and prosecutors repeatedly asserted that Meade is the only person who testified Goodson was holding a gun. Meade was not wearing a body camera.
Goodson was among several Black people killed by white Ohio law enforcement over the last decade 鈥 deaths that have all sparked national outrage and cries for police reform.
