Stranded Motorist Killed By Palm Beach Gardens Cop
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PALM BEACH GARDENS (CBSMiami) - A Palm Beach Gardens cop is on paid leave after he shot and killed a motorist stranded on the side of I-95.
Corey Jones, a drummer with his band the Future Prezidents, had wrapped up a gig in Jupiter on Sunday and was heading home when his car broke down on the ramp to PGA Boulevard around 3 a.m.
Jones' uncle, Sylvester Banks, said his nephew called a family member about the break down and said he was going to call a tow truck.
According to a statement by the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, while Jones was waiting, his car was spotted by Officer Nouman Raja, who decided to check it out because he thought it may have been abandoned.
When Raja, who was on duty in plain clothes and in an unmarked car, approached the vehicle he was confronted by Jones.
"As the officer exited his vehicle, he was suddenly confronted by an armed subject," the statement continued. "As a result of the confrontation, the officer discharged his firearm."
Jones was killed. Police have not said what type of weapon Jones had but Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Stephen Stepp told reporters that investigators recovered the gun and the box it came in.
"Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office detectives have located paperwork showing Mr. Jones purchased the handgun three days before the officer involved shooting," Chief Stepp said.
But Jones' family and friends say the idea of a confrontation does not match the mild-mannered and quiet man they knew.
"Anything you need, Corey would be right there. If you needed his shirt, he would give you his shirt. He would be cold just to keep you warm," said Jones' aunt Dale Banks.
Mathew Huntsberger grieved Tuesday along with a crowd of musicians who knew Jones. He was also the last person to see Jones alive. Jones called Huntsberger when his car broke down and Huntsberger helped before leaving just before the shooting.
"I don't see why a cop needs to come up and kind of confront a person that's stuck on the side of the road in an unmarked car," Huntsberger told CBS 4's Carey Codd.
Like many, Huntsberger is left with a single thought.
"There's a lot of unanswered questions that we need to get to the bottom of," he said.
The Jones family said they knew something was wrong when he didn't show up for Sunday church services.
In Boynton Beach, Jones and his family are well known for their community service with the Bible Church of God where Jones' grandfather, Sylvester Banks Senior, is a bishop.
Jones was a graduate of the University of Akron in Ohio and worked for the Delray Beach Housing Authority.
"It's a big blow, a big blow, it hurt man, it hurts so bad," said Sylvester "Tre" Banks III, Jones' cousin.
Since there were no witnesses and the officer was not wearing a body camera, Jones' family wants answers as to why he was killed.
Attorney Benjamin Crump announced that the family of Corey Jones hired him. Crump has represented the family of Trayvon Martin and worked on other high profile police shooting cases across the country.
His family and friends say Jones was about one thing -- music.
"He grew up on the drums, over there we taught him a few things about life and being a gentleman," said Jones' uncle Kenneth Terry Banks.
On Monday evening, church and family members held a prayer vigil for Jones.
Jones' brother Clinton "C.J." Jones played for the Cleveland Browns in 2003 and New England Patriots in 2008. His cousin, Anquan Boldin, is currently a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers.
Raja has been with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department since April. Before that he was with the Atlantis Police Department, state records show.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is investigating the shooting.
