Just five days after 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr. was shot by a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy in Columbus, Ohio, Goodson’s death was ruled a homicide by the county’s coroner, Dr. Anahi Ortiz.
In a press release shared on December 9, Dr. Ortiz said “[B]ased on findings from the autopsy and medical death investigation, the manner of death is homicide. Although the findings of the case are still preliminary since the coroner’s office has yet to obtain the medical records, the office said the “cause of death is multiple gunshot wounds to the torso.”
Law enforcement officials revealed that they fatally shot Goodson Jr. after he waved a gun while riding down the street, but his family says he was actually holding a Subway sandwich. The family also claims that Goodson was shot three times in his back, but the office’s statement doesn’t provide clear descriptions of his wounds.
On Tuesday, the Justice Department said that it would be joining the investigation looking into Goodson Jr.’s murder, specifically looking for any federal civil rights violations.
Goodson Jr.’s family has spoken to ABC News about his cause of death, as well the narrative surrounding the man’s death that claims he was waving around his gun. They have confirmed that Goodson was a licensed gun owner and that “Ohio does not prohibit the open carrying of firearms.”
Although the team of officers was completing a search for “violent suspects” at the time, a U.S Marshal admitted that Goodson Jr. was not the subject of the search.
There is no physical camera evidence of the exchange, as Franklin County Sheriffs are not issued body cameras, but the family says they saw everything. The final autopsy report can take up to three months to complete, which has added to the restlessness fueling protests in Ohio, as well as and national outrage.