Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy for a Florida musician who was gunned down by police as he sat and waited for help at his broken down vehicle.
The Revered Al Sharpton will deliver the eulogy for Florida musician Corey Jones on Saturday. Jones was gunned down by a plainclothes police officer in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on October 18. Hundreds packed the small chapel to say their good-bye’s to a friend and musician. Many are still demanding answers to why Jones, 31, was shot and killed while waiting for roadside assistance on a highway off ramp.
Even as people were paying their respects, there was a large crowd of protesters who turned out. This was yet another in a long string of incidents where a black citizen has been shot and killed by the police this year. Jones was a drummer and, from all accounts, a peaceful man who did not care for confrontation, according to Reuters.
The county sheriff’s office has released almost no information regarding the confrontation and the eventual death of Jones. They offer the same “the investigation is ongoing” explanation that always gets said far too often these days. Since then, the FBI has entered into the investigation. Jones’ car broke down around 3:30 in the morning on a highway off ramp. He called his roadside service and was awaiting a tow truck when a plain white van pulled up along side of him and his vehicle.
Inside the van was Palm Beach Gardens police officer, Nouman Raja. Raja, 38, was in an unmarked van and was not in uniform. According to accounts, he didn’t even offer Jones any identification as to who he even was. According to the Florida state attorney general’s office, Raja fired six shot following an alleged confrontation. Three of Raja’s bullets hit Jones and killed him. Jones was black and Raja is of Asian descent.
Jones was armed and also had a concealed weapon permit on him. The Jones family attorney was publicly appalled that Raja didn’t even identify himself to Jones. When the shooting occurred, Jones was still on the phone with a roadside assistance operator.
Raja has only been with the Palm Beach Gardens police force since April and has been put on administrative leave pending the investigation.
