In October 2015, musician Corey Jones was waiting for hours for a tow truck to come and pick up his stalled SUV on the side of an Interstate 95 exit ramp. He was returning from a gig, where he had played the drums, when his car broke down. Jones waited for a tow truck after a friend helped him get oil for the car in the hope of fixing it. As it got later and later, Jones didn’t feel comfortable leaving his expensive drum equipment unattended in the car. A little after 3 AM, Palm Beach Gardens Police officer Nouman Raja drove up in an unmarked vehicle, in plainclothes. Shortly afterward, Jones was dead, shot multiple times by Raja.
On Thursday, Corey Jones and his family received a small but historic piece of justice: Nouman Raja was convicted of manslaughter and attempted murder in Jones’ death. The 41-year-old Raja faces a minimum of 25 years in prison and a potential life sentence.
Raja says he believed he was checking on an abandoned vehicle. He says he exited his vehicle, saw that the 31-year-old musician had a handgun, and defended himself by shooting Jones multiple times. Jones had purchased the firearm three days before, legally. The gun was found 41 yards from Jones’ body. Prosecutors said that Jones believed he was being robbed. Audio of Jones on the phone trying to get roadside assistance captured the moment Raja came upon him. It clearly shows Raja being aggressive and not identifying himself as an officer.
RIP
Corey Jones was set to play drums at his family’s church the Sunday morning he was killed.
As days and weeks passed, more information came out, including reports that during Raja’s time in a previous job with the police department in Atlantis, Florida, he had been issued numerous reprimands for being “derelict in the performance of his duties,” including some dubious handling of evidence.
Clinton Jones Sr., Corey Jones’ father, spoke with the reporters after the verdict, saying that his emotions were “running pretty wild right now … It was the truth that convicted him. It was the truth that brought him to justice. It was the truth that sent him to jail. It was the truth — that gave us justice for Corey.”
Rest in power, Corey Jones.
