CV 121020 The Killing of Casey Goodson, and in interview with Dontavius Jarells

Submitted by consciousvoices on Fri, 12/11/2020 - 1:07pm
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Columbus resident Casey Goodson was gunned down by a Franklin County Sheriff's Deputy last week. He was not a suspect in any investigation, and had no criminal record. The deputy claims Goodson pointed a gun at him. Goodson's family say he had only a cel phone, and a bag of sandwiches. He bled out on his kitchen floor in front of his family. The county coroner has ruled the killing a "homicide". All three shots that killed Goodson were received in his back.
Columbus police apparently mis-handled the investigation, failing to secure the scene or to interview witnesses, leading many to beliefs they were operating with the pre-emptive assumption that the shooting was "justified". Citing a lack of coherent evidence, the Ohio attorney General has declined to investigate, but the US justice department has stepped in.
Goodson's family is calling for murder charges to be brought against the deputy, who has a history of insubordination and volatility. The family is represented by Columbus attorney Sean Walton. We have audio from a press conference held by Walton and co-counsels via video chat.

This week I also met with community activist Dontavius Jarells, who will represent the Ohio 25th House district at the start of the new legislative season. I first encountered Jarells when he was a keynote speaker and emcee at an International Black Lives Matter rally at City Hall, which I recorded and broadcast here on this program this past Summer. Here he discusses his vision for improving the lives of his constituents, fighting injustices, and transforming our democratic culture.