Florida Police Shooting of Church Drummer News Update: City Fires Plainclothes Officer Who Shot Corey Jones
The plainclothes police officer who fatally shot a popular church drummer while he was stranded on a Florida highway last month has been fired.
The city of Palm Beach Gardens made the announcement Thursday in a press release, although officials did not mention any wrongdoing by the officer, who had been hired by the Palm Beach Gardens Police six months prior.
"The City of Palm Beach Gardens has been cautiously and methodically considering the employment status of Officer Nouman Raja. Therefore, Officer Raja, a probationary employee with the City, has been terminated from employment effective Wednesday, November 11, 2015," reads the statement.
"The independent criminal investigation into the officer-involved shooting that occurred on October 18, 2015, is ongoing and the city will continue to cooperate with all agencies involved," it states.
Raja, 38, was initially placed on administrative leave after he fatally shot 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 on a highway 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. However, lawyers representing the victim's family say the licensed gun owner never fired his weapon before Raja shot him. They also argue that the plainclothes officer did not display his badge before shooting Jones.
Following the announcement, Jones' family issued a statement saying they were "pleased" that Raja was terminated.
"While we are pleased that the city of Palm Beach Gardens has terminated the employment of the officer who gunned down Corey Jones, we maintain that the officer in question also must be held criminally liable for his reckless actions that night," the family said, according to Yahoo! News.
"Our family remains hopeful that the outside agencies brought in to investigate Corey's killing will soon begin to yield factual information about how and why this officer acted so callously."
However, John Kazanjian, president of the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association said he was "disappointed" by the decision to fire Raja.
"I'm disappointed in the chief and his decision to terminate Raja," Kazanjian told NBC News. He added that he is not aware of any information released from the investigation that would have prompted Raja's termination. "Nothing prompted this. We're surprised just like everybody else," he said.
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