Officer killed Boynton Beach man without showing badge, lawyers say
Corey Jones, a popular church drummer from Boynton Beach, was shot three times without ever seeing police lights or a badge from the plainclothes Palm Beach Gardens police officer who approached him, according to attorneys for his family.
Jones’ family and their attorneys met with the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office in West Palm Beach on Thursday to get more details about what happened when Jones was shot early Sunday while waiting with his brokendown car parked on an Interstate 95 exit ramp near PGA Boulevard.
The Jones family attorneys, citing information provided to them by the prosecutor’s office, said Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Nouman Raja — wearing jeans, a T-shirt and baseball cap instead of a uniform — fired six total shots while Jones never fired his gun.
Jones, 31, had a concealed-weapons permit for his gun, which they said he carried for protection while traveling to and from concerts, his family said.
“We believe Corey went to his grave not knowing if this was a real cop,” said Benjamin Crump, a highprofile civil rights attorney representing Jones’ family.
The lawyers said Jones’ body was found 80 to 100 yards away from his car, with his gun between him and the vehicle.
Jones’ death comes amid a national uproar over use of force by police, from Ferguson, Mo., to Baltimore, involving young black men. The case has raised questions about procedures for officers out of uniform.
After meeting with the State Attorney’s Office, the Jones family joined hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department. “Today I need some answers,” Jones’ father Clinton Jones said. “I need to know why.”