In a stunning reversal of the typical good guy with a gun narrative, a former Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy named Michael Jason Meade has been convicted of reckless homicide in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old concealed carry permit holder Casey Goodson Jr. back in December 2020. Meade, responding to a 911 call about a man waving a gun, pursued Goodson to his home where the young Black man—armed legally with a holstered handgun—was entering with groceries and his dogs. Bodycam and surveillance footage showed Goodson turning toward the door, never drawing his weapon, yet Meade fired six shots from 10 feet away, striking him multiple times in the back. A jury took just hours to convict after a two-week trial, rejecting Meade’s claim of fearing for his life and highlighting a pattern of poor judgment that led to his firing from the department.

This case flips the script on law enforcement’s frequent portrayal as infallible arbiters of deadly force, exposing the razor-thin line concealed carriers walk when interacting with armed authorities. While anti-2A activists might spin this as gun violence run amok, the reality underscores a critical double standard: Goodson was exercising his Ohio constitutional carry rights (permit in hand), yet faced lethal consequences without brandishing or threatening. Meade’s reckless actions—firing into a home without clear imminent threat—mirror the very stand your ground defenses gun owners invoke, but courts rarely extend the same grace to citizens. Data from the Force Science Institute shows officers hit their mark only 20-30% in high-stress encounters, yet juries hold them to reckless standards here, a win for accountability that bolsters 2A arguments against qualified immunity.

For the concealed carry community, the implications are stark: this conviction is a pro-2A beacon, proving that even cops aren’t above the law when they treat legal carriers as threats by default. It amplifies calls for de-escalation training tailored to armed citizens—over 20% of U.S. adults now carry per Pew Research—and reinforces why bodycams and bystander video are our best allies. Train hard, film everything, and remember: the badge doesn’t grant a monopoly on force. Goodson’s death demands we push for parity, ensuring the right to self-defense isn’t suspended at the sight of blue lights.