Last October, a man whose car had broken down in the middle of the night in Florida was killed by a police officer while waiting for roadside assistance. Seven months later, the officer has been charged by Florida prosecutors with manslaughter by culpable negligence and attempted first degree murder. According to Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg, a grand jury found that the officer’s use of deadly force was unjustified.
Nouman Raja never told 31-year-old Corey Jones that he was a police officer before he killed him, prosecutors allege. Nor was it possible, according to the charging documents, for Jones to deduce Raja’s identity from his police vehicle, because it was unmarked, or his clothing, because he wasn’t wearing a uniform. After Raja pulled up to Jones’s car around 3:15 a.m., the situation escalated quickly, with Raja noticing that Jones was armed with a gun and allegedly yelling, “Get your fucking hands up!” three times before firing six shots.
Jones had encountered car trouble on his way home from a concert he had performed in, and had parked his vehicle north of West Palm Beach, alongside Interstate 95. According to a police statement issued after the incident, Raja spotted Jones’ car and stopped to investigate because he believed it was abandoned. “As the officer exited his vehicle, he was suddenly confronted by an armed subject,” the department said in their statement. “As a result of the confrontation, the officer discharged his firearm, resulting in the death of the subject.”
According to the Washington Post, the charging documents released Wednesday indicate that Raja drove his car in the wrong direction while exiting the interstate before confronting Jones. “A reasonable person can only assume the thoughts and concerns Corey Jones was experiencing as he saw the van approaching him at that hour of the morning,” the prosecutors wrote in the documents. “Raja stopped his van at a perpendicular angle directly in front of Jones’ vehicle… At no time during the recording did Raja say he was a police officer.”
A transcript of the interaction between the two men, published by the Post, indicates that Raja initially asked if Jones was OK:
Raja: You good?
Jones: I’m good
Raja: Really?
Jones: Yeah, I’m good.
Raja: Really?
Jones: Yeah
Raja: Get your fucking hands up! Get your fucking hands up!
Jones: Hold on!
Raja: Get your fucking hands up! Drop!
The Post said Jones was on the phone with someone when Raja fired on him, causing the person on the other end of the line to say, “Oh my gosh!”
About 30 seconds after firing his final shot, Raja called 911 and told the dispatcher, “I came out, I saw him come out with a handgun. I gave him commands, I identified myself, and he turned, pointed the gun at me, and started running. I shot him.”
