Second Amendment supporters across Ohio are sharing their concerns and demanding answers about the police shooting of 23-year old Casey Goodson, Jr. As we’ve previously reported here, the concealed carry holder was killed by a Franklin County deputy last Friday after authorities say he “waved a gun” at officers, but his family disputes that account and says Goodson was killed as he was trying to enter the family home.

The Buckeye Firearms Association has now weighed in on the case, and on today’s Bearing Arms’ Cam & Co BFA’s Sean Maloney joins me to talk about the attention that Goodson’s death is starting to receive in the Second Amendment community, as well as an update on several pieces of pro-2A legislation in the Ohio statehouse.

As Buckeye Firearms’ Chad Baus writes:

Most will agree that it is best to withhold judgment until all the facts come in. But I hope that all concealed handgun license-holders will agree that this situation is very concerning.

First, let me say that I agree with the family’s attorney in this: no law enforcement spokesperson should be saying the shooting was justified before an investigation has been done. Such statements cause a lack of trust for family members and others as to whether a fair and impartial weighing of the facts will be done at all.

Cause for additional concern is the fact that the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation declined a request by Columbus police on Monday to lead the investigation and questioned the decision to wait three days before requesting help.

It’s important to note, as Baus did, that we don’t have all of the facts here. Still, as Maloney told me, the wildly different accounts of what transpired before Goodson was shot are reason enough for skepticism. Maloney says that he’s pleased the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division and the Cincinnati field office of the FBI are now taking part in the investigation, and he wonders why the Columbus police department didn’t immediately request the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation take charge of the investigation into the shooting.

The deputy who shot Goodson is also speaking out, albeit through his attorney. Mark Collins says that Deputy Jason Meade shot Goodson only after the concealed carry holder pointed a gun at him.

In the statement, Collins responds to several points related to Goodson’s death that have come from media reports or members of Goodson’s family. Those responses include:

• At no time did Meade mistake a sandwich for a gun.
• Goodson pointed his gun at Meade.
• There has been confirmation that Meade gave verbal commands for Goodson to drop the gun.
• There have been no eyewitnesses to the shooting identified.
• The released 911 call makes it clear nobody witnessed the shooting from inside the house.
• A gun was recovered from Goodson.

Obviously, not all these talking points are able to be proven. We don’t know whether or not Meade mistook a sandwich for a gun. We don’t know that Goodson pointed a gun at the deputy. I’m a little curious as to how there can be confirmation that Meade gave verbal commands for Goodson to drop the gun, yet no eyewitnesses to the shooting have been identified, but I’m assuming that perhaps members of Goodson’s family or law enforcement heard Meade, but couldn’t see the confrontation with Goodson.

The fact that a gun was recovered from Woodson is also in an of itself not evidence that the shooting was justified. Goodson was licensed to carry a firearm. There was nothing illegal about him having a gun on him. The bigger question is where was the gun recovered? Was it in his hand, or on the ground nearby, or was it in a holster or tucked into a pocket?

The autopsy report could also answer some questions, since Goodson’s grandmother told 911 dispatchers that her grandson had been shot in the back as he was unlocking the door to the home while Meade says he shot Goodson after he refused to drop a gun after he stepped out of his car. So far Franklin County coroner has said only that Goodson was shot multiple times in the torso.

The Buckeye Firearms Association’s Sean Maloney says he expects to see a number of Second Amendment supporters in Columbus this weekend for protests and rallies in support of Goodson and a full investigation into his death. Like Maloney and Goodson’s own family, I hope these protests are peaceful, and that Casey Goodson’s family can soon get the answers that they deserve.