Shooting of Corey Jones

Corey Jones
Born	Corey Lamar Jones (1984-02-03)February 3, 1984
Died	Palm Beach Gardens, Florida U.S.
Cause of death	Shooting
Nationality	American
Education	University of Akron
Occupation	Housing Authority Inspector Assistant Property Manager Musician
Parent(s)	Clinton Jones, Sr. Anita Banks-Negron
Relatives	Sylvester Banks, Sr. (grandfather) Clinton "CJ" Jones, Jr. (brother) Melissa Jones (sister) C'von Jones (sister) Anquan Boldin (cousin) Vince Wilfork (cousin)

Corey Jones (February 3, 1984 – October 18, 2015) was an African-American man who was shot by a plainclothes police officer while waiting by his disabled car in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Early life

Jones was born to father Clinton Jones, Sr., who renovated houses, and mother, Anita Banks, a guidance counselor, who died from cancer in 2006. His grandfather, Sylvester Banks, Sr., a church pastor helped raise him. His older brother, Clinton "CJ" Jones, Jr., was a football player at University of Iowa and from 2003 to 2009 played in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. Jones was the middle child between his older brother and younger sister, Melissa Jones, and came from a very large extended family. Jones' cousins are Houston Texans defensive tackle, Vince Wilfork, and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver, Anquan Boldin. He lived in Lake Worth, Florida.

Jones went to Christa McAuliffe Middle School in Boynton Beach, Florida, where he played the French horn. His entire family was musical, and played instruments at home as well as at church.

Jones graduated from the University of Akron with degrees in business administration and music. He worked as a youth mentor at My Brothers Keeper, a non-profit organization that helps African-American youths.

Career

Jones worked at the Delray Beach Housing Authority for eight years. He was an Inspector/Assistant Property Manager, a job that involved inspecting housing units to make sure they were livable. The position also required assisting tenants and landlords with communication.

Jones also worked part-time as a drummer. He played in a band at his church, the Bible Church of God in Boynton Beach, Florida, where his grandfather, Sylvester Banks, Sr., is a bishop. He also played with a band called Future Prezidents with bandmates that included Boris Simeonov and Mathew Huntsberger.

Event

On Sunday, October 18, 2015, at approximately 3:15 am, a plainclothes police officer in an unmarked white van with tinted windows wearing a T-shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap, stopped by what he said was an abandoned vehicle. The Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer, Nouman K. Raja, approached the vehicle at the southbound exit ramp of Interstate 95 and PGA Boulevard. Raja, on-duty doing burglary surveillance, said he was confronted by an armed subject, so he discharged his weapon and killed the man, later identified as Jones, a musician and local housing authority worker. In total, Raja discharged his weapon six times. He hit Jones with three shots. One bullet entered the side of Jones' body, went through his aorta, killing him, and ended up in the top part of his torso, while the other bullets went through his body, hitting his left elbow and right shoulder. Jones' arm was broken from the impact of one of the bullets. He had just turned 31 years old.

Raja was not wearing a body camera and his vehicle was not equipped with a camera.

Jones, who was driving a Hyundai Santa Fe, had car trouble, had called first his brother, C.J. Jones, who offered to come help him. Jones was due in church the next morning and needed his car, so he told his brother not to come pick him up. Jones' bandmate, Huntsberger, came to help, bringing oil, but they were not able to get the car running. Jones called for a tow truck and with that assurance, Huntsberger left. Jones had been returning home to Boynton Beach, Florida, after playing a show in Jupiter, Florida, at Johnny Mangos Tiki Bar & Grill. He had been playing with his band, the Future Prezidents. It was reported that Jones had been on the phone with AT&T roadside assistance when he was approached by the police officer. He had also called FHP, Florida Highway Patrol's line for assistance, and AT&T #HELP multiple times trying to get help. Jones was using his government-issued work phone, so the records are available under state law.

Jones' body was found a good distance – 80–100 feet (24–30 m) – away from the vehicle, from which he appeared to have run. Jones had a .380-caliber gun, which he had purchased three days prior to the shooting, and for which he had a concealed carry license. The gun was found on the ground between Jones' body and his car and had not been discharged.

Response

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office conducted an independent investigation of the incident. The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department released a 90-page personnel file on Raja. The FBI will assist the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in its investigation.

Issues surrounding the event:

• Did Raja clearly identify himself during the confrontation
• Was there a communication issue between the two men
• What was delay in notification of Jones' family of his death—almost 38 hours after the incident

Raja was an adjunct police academy instructor at Palm Beach State College, where he taught part-time. He was put on administrative leave from the college as well as the police department, which is policy when there is an officer involved shooting. Raja previously worked at Atlantis Police Department in Atlantis, Florida, for nine years from 2008 to 2015. On November 11, 2015, Raja's employment with the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department, which was in a six-month probationary status from hire date April 13, 2015, was terminated. Around the same time, Raja'a employment with Palm Beach State College was terminated, as a condition of his employment was his job working in the criminal justice system.

Jones' family is represented by Benjamin Crump, who is well known for his work representing the family of Trayvon Martin, as well as attorney Daryl D. Parks. On October 31, there was a funeral for Jones at Payne Chapel AME Church in West Palm Beach, Florida. Apostle Sharon Walker delivered the eulogy. Reverend Al Sharpton delivered words to the family.

See also

• List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, October 2015