Ohio
Former Ohio sheriff's deputy charged with murder testifies that the man he shot brandished gun
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A former Ohio sheriff’s deputy testified in a murder trial Tuesday that the man he killed lifted a gun to shoot him, despite prosecutors saying the man’s gun was found on his kitchen floor with the safety mechanism engaged.
Jason Meade took to the stand to describe the events of the fatal 2020 shooting of Casey Goodson Jr., which was not captured by body camera as Meade was not wearing one at the time. He said that he feared for his life and the lives of those around him when Meade shot the 23-year-old Goodson a total of six times — five times in the back.
Meade, who is white, has pleaded not guilty to murder and reckless homicide in the death of Goodson, who was Black. The sheriff’s deputy, who is a pastor at a Baptist church, shot Goodson as he entered his grandmother’s house, police have said. Goodson fell into the house’s kitchen, where his gun was found, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors say that Goodson was holding a bag of sandwiches in one hand and his keys in the other when he was killed. When Meade testified about the shooting, he said Goodson had brandished a a gun at him from his car, prompting a pursuit. Goodson then failed to respond to commands, Meade said.
He told jurors Goodson had his back to him at first, and he fired at Goodson when he turned to lift a gun toward him.
“I thought he was going to shoot me. I’m thinking, I don’t want to die. I didn’t want to shoot him,” he said. Meade also said he hoped that Goodson would surrender but felt he did not have a choice in order to stop a “deadly threat.”
On the stand, Meade also addressed previous statements about his law enforcement work, made at a Christian men’s conference in his role as a pastor. The recordings received significant backlash, and lawyers for Meade tried to keep the recordings from the jury, but their request was denied.
In the recordings, while speaking to those attending the conference, Meade said he has a “great job” and that he gets to “hunt” people. He also made comments about use of force, including that he’s “justified” in “throwing the first punch” because others wish they could punch those people, too.
His comment on hunting people, he said, was an attempt to explain his job in a way that people who didn’t know what he did would understand.
Mead also explained that he often uses lived experience to convey spiritual messages, and that he was connecting use of force to the biblical story of David and Goliath, in which a young boy defeats a giant intending to kill him.
Neither the prosecution nor Goodson’s family have ever disputed that Goodson could have been carrying a gun but note that he also had a license to carry a firearm. Goodson also had a holster around his waist that did not have a strap.
Special prosecutor Gary Shroyer questioned Meade on whether he’d done enough to notify Goodson that he was law enforcement. Meade told Shroyer that the situation was urgent, he did not have time to put on sirens or lights, and that Goodson must have heard Meade because he ran from him.
Shroyer again emphasized that Goodson had AirPods in his ears when he died and pointed to discrepancies in Meade’s testimony on “moving quickly” versus actively running from law enforcement. He also noted that Meade had lost sight of Goodson on the way to Goodson’s grandmother’s home.
Shroyer also questioned Meade on whether, as a reasonable officer, he could have assessed that Goodson was in his own car and going to his own home, especially considering that he was able to open the side door with his keys.
Meade said he did not see how Goodson opened the door or with what hand, but maintained that Goodson’s actions “indicated criminal activity.”
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Samantha Hendrickson is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Sixty percent of children in Ohio are not ready for kindergarten when they start school.
Now, a national nonprofit is working to change that by expanding access to books and promoting early literacy across the state.
Sixty percent of children in Ohio are not ready for kindergarten when they start school. (WKRC file)
Nedra Smith has seen the difference firsthand. Her two young daughters receive books through the program at their pediatrician visits at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.
“They love to read now,” Smith said. “We’ll randomly be out and they’ll see a book and want to read a book.”
Reach Out and Read partners with pediatricians to give children books during regular checkups and encourage parents to read aloud with them. The program has been part of Cincinnati Children’s for more than a decade.
“They typically come in and tell us they got new books,” Smith said. “They typically ask me to read the book right then and there.”
Program leaders say early literacy is increasingly being recognized as an important part of a child’s overall health and development.
“Initially, literacy may not have been in the forefront or seen as a health benefit,” said Kristy High, program manager for Reach Out and Read. “Well-child checks focus on shots, nutrition, and those things; but now we want to focus on those main benefits for the development and milestones when it comes to learning.”
The organization is now working to expand its reach statewide, with a goal of serving children in all 88 Ohio counties.
“We know that those first five years of life are the most critical for brain development,” said Steven Lake, executive director of Reach Out and Read Ohio. “If we can intervene as early as possible, essentially, we reach out at birth; we know we can have the greatest impact.”
Smith encourages other parents to participate in the program and read to their children.
“It’s fun,” Smith said. “It’s actually fun to see them light up, and I think they’ll pass that on to their own kids as well.”
Reach Out and Read also partners with providers in Kentucky and Indiana. You can find a participating provider near you on the organization’s website.
If you are a doctor looking to participate in the program, click here.
The Ohio Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Pick 3
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 8-6-2
Evening: 7-0-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 9-4-7-0
Evening: 0-6-1-8
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 5
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at 12:29 p.m. and 7:29 p.m., except Saturday evening.
Midday: 1-7-3-7-4
Evening: 9-0-8-8-0
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Rolling Cash 5
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 7:05 p.m.
16-19-33-36-38
Check Rolling Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Millionaire for Life
Drawings are held daily, seven days a week, at approximately 11:15 p.m.
01-03-20-35-46, Bonus: 05
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Enquirer digital news director. You can send feedback using this form.
Ryan Day will have some very familiar competition in the Big 10 soon.
The son of the Ohio State football coach, R.J. Day, announced his commitment to Northwestern for the Class of 2027 on Sunday.
Northwestern plays in the same conference as Ohio State and the schools will face each other.
R.J. Day, a 6-foot-1, 205-pound quarterback from — not surprisingly — Columbus, Ohio, has started for three years at St. Francis DeSales HS as he heads towards his senior season.
According to reports, the younger Day had other offers from Purdue, Syracuse, Cincinnati and South Florida, as well as others.
Northwestern has eight quarterbacks on head coach David Braun’s roster.
And the offensive coordinator for the Wildcats is Chip Kelly, who served in the same role for Ryan Day at Ohio State when the Buckeyes won the title in 2024.
Kelly, the former head coach at UCLA and Oregon, was also the offensive coordinator at New Hampshire when Ryan Day was the team captain from 1998-2001.
Most recently, Kelly was the OC with the Las Vegas Raiders before he took the job with Northwestern.
“It’s really surreal when you think about the relationships that we’ve had with those two as a family over the years,” R.J. Day told ESPN earlier this month. “Coach Kelly coached my dad in college, so that adds another layer to it.”
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