Ex-deputy found guilty of reckless homicide in shooting of Black man entering grandmother's home

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former sheriff's deputy was found guilty of reckless homicide at trial Thursday for shooting a Black man who was bringing sandwiches to his grandmother's house.

The killing of Casey Goodson Jr. by Jason Meade in December 2020 had provoked outrage in Ohio.

Trial jurors said they couldn't agree on the more serious charge of murder, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial on that count.

Meade, who is white, said his shooting of Goodson — five times in the back and once in the side — was justified because he saw the 23-year-old holding a gun and turning toward him in the doorway of the house in Columbus. But no one else testified they saw Goodson holding the gun he was licensed to carry, and no cameras recorded the shooting.

This was Meade's second murder trial after the first one ended in a mistrial two years ago. He is now the second white law enforcement officer to be convicted in the killing of a Black man in the state since the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minnesota sparked national protests.

Tamala Payne, Goodson's mother, said the guilty verdict gives her family closure and peace.

“I know now Casey can rest. You know, we’ve been fighting for five and a half years, and Casey sees his family fighting. He knows the stress. He knows the pain. He knows the heartache,” she said. “And now, not only can we try to find peace and finally start truly grieving, my baby can rest.”

Meade had testified in the first trial that he pursued Goodson after the man waved a gun at him as they passed each other in their vehicles. According to his family and prosecutors, Goodson was holding a bag of Subway sandwiches in one hand and his keys in the other, and was listening to music through earbuds when he was killed.

Meade did not take the stand at his second trial.

Prosecutors also said the evidence suggests the gun wasn't in his hands, but in a flimsy holder under his belt. They added it was found under his body, its safety mechanism still engaged, as Goodson laid mortally wounded on the kitchen floor of his grandmother's house.

Meade, now 47, retired from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Department in 2021. He’s also a Baptist pastor. His attorney cited Meade’s oral and written accounts of what happened, and said the shooting was justified.

Ohio law defines murder as the purposeful causing of a death, while the lesser charge of reckless murder means the defendant acted recklessly in causing a death. The former is punishable by up to life in prison, while the latter carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Judge David Young set sentencing for July 16.

Prosecutors said they were pleased with the guilty verdict on the reckless homicide charge and haven't decided yet whether to pursue a third trial on the murder charge — something Payne said she would like to see happen.

Defense attorneys Mark Collins and Kaitlyn Stephens did not address the media afterward.

Following the verdict, Brian Steel, president and chief executive of the Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge #9, said he respects the jury but was “disappointed” with the decision. He said he hopes the prosecutor's office does not seek a retrial on the murder charge.

“This was long six years drawn out. This is the second trial. I hope they’re for the sake of not only the Meade family, the Goodson family and the community, I hope we don’t try to do a third trial on this murder charge,” Steel said.

Christopher Corne was driving nearby that day and testified for the prosecution at both trials. He said Goodson seemed to be dancing and singing in his truck shortly before the shooting. He also testified during the first trial that he did not see a gun in Goodson’s hand.

Columbus police Officer Samuel Rippey testified at the second trial that while he was administering emergency treatment to Goodson, he saw the gun, with an extended magazine, lying on the floor.

Goodson’s death provoked public outrage in Ohio as the killings of Black people by white officers increased demands for police reform following the killing of Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis.

Banners were hung from highway overpasses in Columbus, carrying messages such as “Justice for Casey Goodson Jr.” and “Convict Murderer Meade.” The judge ordered the banners taken down during the trial.

Previous Ohio prosecutions in such cases led to only one conviction — that of Columbus police officer Adam Coy, who was indicted on charges including murder in the 2020 killing of Andre Hill.

Former sheriff's deputy Jason Meade, second from left, speaks to law enforcement after he was found guilty of reckless homicide Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio, in the shooting death of Casey Goodson Jr. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, Pool)

The mother of Casey Goodson, Tamala Payne, reacts to Jason Meade's reckless homicide guilty verdict in Meade's murder trial Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, Pool)

From left, former sheriff's deputy Jason Meade, defense attorney Kaitlyn Stephens, prosecutor Howard Tim Merkle and prosecutor Gary Shroyer stand inside the courtroom at Franklin County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, Pool)

Judge David Young holds up jury instructions during closing arguments in former sheriff's deputy Jason Meade's retrial in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, Pool)

Former sheriff's deputy Jason Meade stands during closing arguments of his retrial on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, inside Franklin County Court of Common Pleas in Columbus, Ohio. (Doral Chenoweth/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, Pool)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump's proposal to put a coat of white paint on the exterior of a 19th-century historic landmark building next to the White House could cost taxpayers at least $7.5 million, a White House official involved in the project said Thursday.

Ryan Erb, the construction operations and facilities manager in the White House Office of Administration, which is spearheading the proposal, discussed details with members of the National Capital Planning Commission as the federal agency opened its review process.

The commission did not approve the project on Thursday, instead directing the White House to provide the agency with additional information at a future date.

The proposed painting of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building is one piece of a broader plan the Republican president has said will make Washington more beautiful.

Trump is making numerous changes inside and outside the White House and its grounds, most notably razing the East Wing to build a 1,000-person ballroom. Across the street from the mansion, Lafayette Park is closed for renovations, including restoring the fountains.

“President Trump continues to beautify the White House and our Nation’s Capital and is giving it the glory it deserves — something everyone should celebrate,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in an emailed statement after the meeting.

Questioned about project costs, Erb said his office continues to work with an outside vendor to test the silicate paint they want to use, but offered $7.5 million as a preliminary estimate just for the exterior paint job. The White House would use money already designated for maintenance and upkeep projects.

“Unfortunately, we can't rush that process,” Erb told the commissioners at their monthly meeting. “We're trying to get all the data first.”

The White House has put forward two proposals: painting the entire gray granite exterior of the Eisenhower building white, or painting most of the building white while leaving the granite base as is. Painting the entire building is preferred, officials have said.

Trump last year said the gray is a “really bad color.”

Erb said Thursday that the paint is being tested on granite samples from a quarry in Maine because no testing can be done on the Eisenhower building itself. He stressed that the samples are new stone and not aged like what is on the building, which opened in 1888 after 17 years of construction.

“The initial data was encouraging for this process,” he said.

But the proposal has alarmed preservationists, architects, historians and others who argue that granite is not meant to be painted and that paint would trap moisture and deteriorate the stone.

“Painting the granite facade of the building white will adversely and permanently alter this important landmark, and should be rejected,” said Priya Jain, of the Society of Architectural Historians. She was among 11 people who commented at Thursday's meeting. Most urged the commission to reject the proposal.

More than 2,000 public comments submitted to the agency and available on its website were also strongly opposed to the plan. Commenters criticized the expected cost as a waste of taxpayer dollars and argued that a white Eisenhower building would throw off the visual balance along that portion of Pennsylvania Avenue and overwhelm the White House. Some suggested improved landscaping, lighting and other steps to improve the building’s appearance.

The capital planning commission, chaired by top Trump White House aide Will Scharf, approved staff comments on the proposal. That means White House officials will have to present additional information to the agency on a future date, including details about the type of paint to be used as well as alternatives that could improve the building's appearance without painting it.

A separate federal agency — the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts — is also reviewing the proposal and recently asked the White House to present additional information, including about paint testing, before a vote to approve it.

The Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which sits across a driveway from the White House, is a National Historic Landmark. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A lawsuit against the proposed paint job is also pending in federal court.

FILE - The Eisenhower Executive Office Building is seen at the White House complex, April 20, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)