The mayor of Columbus, Ohio, spoke out on Friday and criticized a U.S. Marshal for providing an “inappropriate, uninformed” statement about the death of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr.
According to CBS News, U.S. Marshal Peter Tobin has made multiple claims disputed by Goodson’s family and have not been repeated or confirmed by authorities investigating the shooting. Tobin, who had been making the unsubstantiated comments since shortly after Goodson was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy last Friday, has since walked back his comments, saying they were “premature.”
The U.S. Marshal originally told reporters on the December 4th shooting scene that the victim “was seen driving down the street waving a gun” before he was confronted by the deputy, who was later identified as Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Meade.
Tobin reportedly told the media, “My prediction is that it was a justified shooting,” before noting that the deputy would be thoroughly investigated before he was cleared.
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther criticized Tobin via Twitter, saying, “He was wrong to make a statement, and his words were inappropriate, uninformed and damaged the public’s trust in the investigation.”
Hours after facing criticism from the mayor for his “prediction,” Tobin released a statement saying his comments were “premature.”
