The family of Casey Goodson Jr. will receive $7 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit over a December 2020 shooting<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The family of Casey Goodson Jr., a Black man who was shot and killed by an Ohio sheriff\u2019s deputy, will receive $7 million to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit over the December 2020 shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Franklin County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the settlement late last month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Goodson, 23, was shot multiple times<\/u><\/a> as he tried to enter his grandmother\u2019s Columbus home. His death \u2014 one of several involving Black people killed by white Ohio law enforcement officers over the past decade \u2014 came at the end of a year in which mass protests swept the nation over the murder of George Floyd<\/u><\/a>. Goodson’s name was added to rallying cries in protests over racial injustice in policing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Goodson\u2019s family issued a statement calling the settlement historic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe settlement allows Casey\u2019s family to resolve their civil claims against Franklin County, enabling them to concentrate fully on the upcoming murder retrial of Michael Jason Meade,\u201d family attorney Sean Walton said. \u201cWhile no amount of money can ever compensate for the loss of Casey, this settlement is a crucial acknowledgment of the profound impact his death has had on his family and the broader community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meade was charged with murder and reckless homicide<\/u><\/a>, but a mistrial was announced in February when a jury couldn\u2019t agree<\/u><\/a> on a verdict, ending tumultuous proceedings that saw four jurors dismissed. Prosecutors soon announced he would face a retrial, which is scheduled to start Oct. 31, but they have since dropped one of the two murder counts<\/u><\/a> he faced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meade has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers have said the prosecution\u2019s decision to seek another trial was due to political pressure from local elected officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n