Family Photo/Courtesy of Attorney Sean Walton via AP
- Preliminary autopsy results for 23-year-old Casey Goodson reveals his death has been ruled a “homicide,” Dr. Anahi M. Ortiz of the Franklin County Coroner’s office said in a press release on Wednesday.
- Goodson was shot by a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy while entering the front door of his home on December 4.
- Dr. Ortiz’s office said the current “cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds to the torso,” but that is a preliminary result as the office awaits “medical records as well as the toxicology report.”
- The office said it anticipates a final result in 12 to 14 weeks.
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Preliminary autopsy results for Casey Goodson, a 23-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by a Franklin County, Ohio sheriff deputy on December 4, revealed his death has been ruled a homicide after he suffered “multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.”
Dr. Anahi M. Ortiz of the Franklin County Coroner’s office said in a press release that based on the preliminary autopsy conducted on December 8, “and medical death investigation, manner of death is homicide.” The cause of death remains a preliminary conclusion as the office said it is awaiting “medical records as well as the toxicology report.”
Goodson’s family previously said he was shot three times in the back, according to NPR.
US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio David DeVillers told Ohio’s WCMH-TV that Dr. Ortiz’s office was still gathering information, and “final detailed findings” can be expected in approximately 12 weeks.
“In order for Dr. Ortiz to be accurate, she has to have all information needed,” DeVillers told the outlet. “This includes toxicology reports as well as medical records from the hospital’s attempt to save Mr. Goodson’s life. This will take some time and we do not expect final detailed findings for approx. 12 weeks. In the meantime, this investigation continues.”
Goodson was shot while walking into the front door of his home. Two days after the incident, the Columbus Police Department identified Jason Meade as the sheriff deputy involved in the fatal shooting. Meade was working with US Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, looking for suspects, but police said Goodson had no prior criminal record and was not a target of the search.
The department said in a statement "the deputy reported witnessing a man with a gun," and Meade fatally shot Goodson following "reports of a verbal exchange." According to police, a gun was discovered on Goodson - who his family's lawyers said was licensed to carry a concealed weapon.
Goodson's lawyers said in a statement he did not have a gun, but was carrying Subway sandwiches. Columbus Police said there were no eyewitnesses or body camera footage that captured the incident. However, the family's lawyers said his grandmother and two children saw the shooting occur.
The department is investigating the case. DeVillers said Tuesday the FBI, the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice and the Columbus Police Critical Incident Response Team are joining the investigation, according to the Columbus Dispatch.
"Our demand is that the authorities provide the family with answers for Casey's death and that the officer involved be held accountable," Walton + Brown, the law firm representing the family, said in a statement on Sunday. "The family and the community demand swift justice for Casey Goodson."