WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) — The family of Corey Jones, the church drummer who was fatally gunned down along Interstate 95 last fall by a Palm Beach Gardens Police officer, is demanding answers in his death investigation.
A small group of Jones’ loved ones spoke with reporters outside of the State Attorney’s Office in West Palm Beach, Thursday, 150 days after his death. "It hurts. It really hurts, because I know what we instilled in Corey Jones," said Gale Banks Allen, his aunt.
According to investigators, Jones, 31, was waiting for a tow truck by his broken down car along the on-ramp at Interstate 95 and PGA Boulevard when Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Nouman Raja pulled up behind him, Oct. 18. Police said a confrontation ensued between the two men, and then the law enforcer shot and killed Jones.
Officials said Raja was wearing plain clothes and driving an unmarked police car when he approached Jones. Raja claims he had stopped to investigate what he thought was an abandoned car and that Jones pointed a gun at him. Police said they recovered a gun registered to Jones near the scene.
Raja was fired from the force a month after the shooting.
Speaking at the news conference, Jones’ family said they want Raja to face charges.
Banks Allen described her late nephew, a drummer at the Bible Church of God in Boynton Beach, as a wonderful human being. "He was just a loving nephew," she said. "I miss him. His brother misses him. His sister misses him. His nieces miss him. He was taken away too soon. I’m sick of the police killing our kids. I’m done with that."
The news conference occurred on the same day Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill that would require the state’s police agencies to begin implementing body cameras in their departments.
Several agencies continue investigating.