A new report suggests that the plainclothes police officer who fatally shot a popular church drummer while he was stranded on a Florida highway may not have been qualified to have been working on an undercover surveillance assignment on the night of the shooting.

Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Nouman Raja was on surveillance duty on Oct. 18, when he shot and killed Corey Jones, a 31-year-old South Florida musician. On the night of the incident, Jones was driving home after playing with his band when his car broke down near a highway exit ramp in Boynton Beach around 3:15 a.m., reported WPBF. As he was waiting for a tow truck on Interstate 95, he was approached by Raja, who was wearing civilian clothing and driving an unmarked car. Authorities say that some type of "confrontation" ensued between Raja and Jones before the cop opened fire and killed the African American man.

Jones' handgun was later recovered on the ground outside his car, said Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Stephen J. Stepp. Stepp also said the 38-year old cop claims he was "suddenly confronted by an armed subject" before he opened fire.

While speaking to reporters last week, Stepp said Raja, who had been hired by the department six months ago, had been conducting surveillance on suspected burglaries. However, documents obtained by Yahoo News show that Raja was not qualified to be on an undercover surveillance assignment as a recen hire.

According to the department's written procedures, surveillance operations should only be carried out by tactical officers or detectives. However, on the time of the shooting, Raja was still on probationary status and assigned to patrol, reports Yahoo News.

"It looks like they assigned an untrained officer to conduct surveillance," said police practices consultant Chuck Drago. "Surveillance is an art and it takes training and practice. I think the PD will have to explain the use of an untrained officer in such a position."

The policy also states all surveillance must be coordinated through the department's Investigation Bureau, but Raja's job application to Palm Beach Gardens does not state that he has either detective or surveillance experience.

"This type of duty should be reserved for experienced, trained officers," added Drago. "The experience should be in surveillance and plainclothes work."