Attorney: Corey Jones didn't fire his gun, The family of a Florida church drummer shot dead while waiting by his disabled car say they want to know exactly what led a plainclothes police officer to kill him early Sunday morning.
Corey Jones' father, stepmother, older brother and younger sister told USA TODAY the 31-year-old was a jokester who fell in love with drumming as a 3-year-old and later bought a gun for protection. The family's attorney says that based on information he's received from the state attorney, Corey Jones never fired his weapon Sunday morning. Now, they are all searching for answers as details about the fatal shooting begin to emerge.
The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department says officer Nouman Raja got out of his car to investigate what he thought was an abandoned vehicle and was suddenly confronted by "an armed subject" who the officer then shot dead. Authorities say a gun was found on the scene.The shooting happened around around 3:15 a.m. after a gig by the Future Prezidents, the band Jones played with, in Jupiter early on Sunday morning. On his way home to Boynton Beach, Jones' SUV broke down near an interchange on I-95. He called one of his fellow band members for help, who then called roadside assistance after being unable to get the vehicle started.
In a statement on Facebook, the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said, "Nouman Raja, on duty in a plain clothes capacity, in an unmarked police vehicle, stopped to investigate what he believed to be an abandoned vehicle. As the officer exited his vehicle, he was suddenly confronted by an armed subject. As a result of the confrontation, the officer discharged his firearm, resulting in the death of the subject."
Raja, 38, was not wearing a body camera, and none of the department's squad cars are fitted with dashboard cameras. He has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Jones' family, told USA TODAY that based on information he's received from Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Corey Jones at some point ran away and did not fire his weapon Sunday night. "He never fired his gun," Crump said. "The officer fired six times. It is very troubling on many levels why he felt the need to shoot Corey those many times and Corey didn’t feel the need to ever pull his trigger to shoot at the cop."
He added that Jones likely died without understanding that the fatal bullet was fired by a plainclothes police officer. "I believe Corey Jones went to his grave never knowing that the person who was there was a police officer," Crump said. "The thing that seems reasonable is that he thought he and his car were being vandalized and attacked."
Corey Jones' father, stepmother, older brother and younger sister told USA TODAY the 31-year-old was a jokester who fell in love with drumming as a 3-year-old and later bought a gun for protection. The family's attorney says that based on information he's received from the state attorney, Corey Jones never fired his weapon Sunday morning. Now, they are all searching for answers as details about the fatal shooting begin to emerge.The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department says officer Nouman Raja got out of his car to investigate what he thought was an abandoned vehicle and was suddenly confronted by "an armed subject" who the officer then shot dead. Authorities say a gun was found on the scene.The shooting happened around around 3:15 a.m. after a gig by the Future Prezidents, the band Jones played with, in Jupiter early on Sunday morning. On his way home to Boynton Beach, Jones' SUV broke down near an interchange on I-95. He called one of his fellow band members for help, who then called roadside assistance after being unable to get the vehicle started.
In a statement on Facebook, the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department said, "Nouman Raja, on duty in a plain clothes capacity, in an unmarked police vehicle, stopped to investigate what he believed to be an abandoned vehicle. As the officer exited his vehicle, he was suddenly confronted by an armed subject. As a result of the confrontation, the officer discharged his firearm, resulting in the death of the subject."
Raja, 38, was not wearing a body camera, and none of the department's squad cars are fitted with dashboard cameras. He has been placed on paid administrative leave.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Jones' family, told USA TODAY that based on information he's received from Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, Corey Jones at some point ran away and did not fire his weapon Sunday night. "He never fired his gun," Crump said. "The officer fired six times. It is very troubling on many levels why he felt the need to shoot Corey those many times and Corey didn’t feel the need to ever pull his trigger to shoot at the cop."
He added that Jones likely died without understanding that the fatal bullet was fired by a plainclothes police officer. "I believe Corey Jones went to his grave never knowing that the person who was there was a police officer," Crump said. "The thing that seems reasonable is that he thought he and his car were being vandalized and attacked."
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