To protest his childhood friend's killing by police in Columbus this week, Ohio State forward Seth Towns kneeled before his basketball team's 90-85 victory over Notre Dame on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
According to reporting by CNN, federal officials are now investigating the death of 23-year-old Casey Goodson -- Towns' friend -- who was shot and killed Friday by Jason Meade, a local sheriff's deputy, as Goodson entered his home. Meade reportedly said he saw a man with a gun before the shooting.
Goodson's family's attorney told CNN that Goodson had a concealed carry permit and was legally armed at the time of the shooting, but that Goodson had only a Subway sandwich in his hands when he was killed.
Justice for Casey Goodson pic.twitter.com/EpTl1vlou9
— Seth 💤 (@seth_towns17) December 9, 2020
Preliminary autopsy results showed Goodson died from multiple gunshot wounds in his torso, the Franklin County coroner said Wednesday. Final results aren't expected for at least three months.
Franklin County Coroner Dr. Anahi Ortiz listed the cause of death as homicide, a medical determination used in cases where someone has died at someone else's hand, but is not a legal finding and doesn't imply criminal intent. Police have only said that the deputy "shot" Goodson without detailing how many shots were fired.
On the day Goodson was killed, Towns tweeted that he had grown up with Goodson in Columbus. Towns tweeted "Justice for Casey Goodson" with a picture of him kneeling before Tuesday's game.
Towns, a Harvard grad transfer who has not yet played this season as he recovers from a knee injury, has been vocal in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. He made national headlines in May when he was detained by police during a Black Lives Matter protest in Columbus.
Broken hearted this morning to learn that a young man I grew up with and one of the most kind-hearted people I've ever known, Casey Goodson, was killed by a Columbus Police veteran and current US Marshal yesterday. https://t.co/3mwFMsP1JI
— Seth 💤 (@seth_towns17) December 5, 2020
After Floyd's death, Towns was detained by police officers in Columbus after encouraging a crowd of peaceful protesters to "Say his name!" The crowd responded by yelling, "George Floyd!"
After the incident, Towns said he would continue to play an active role to fight against social injustice.
"I won't stop," he said during an interview on SportsCenter after he had been detained. "I will continue to use my voice to speak out for the people who are unheard, and that's what I did. Voice is so important. And when I say 'voice,' I'm not talking about speaking, per se; I'm talking about actions. I'm talking about going out and protesting, and doing your duty as a member of this democracy."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.