Former Florida Cop Found Guilty Of Manslaughter For The Slaying Of Corey Jones

Fired Florida police officer, Nouman Raja, has been convicted of manslaughter and attempted murder in the 2015 fatal shooting of stranded black motorist, Corey Jones. Raja is the first officer in the state to be convicted of an on-duty shooting in 30 years and now faces up to life in prison.

Raja was in plain clothes and an unmarked white van when he drove the wrong way up a dark off-ramp to Jones’ stalled SUV. Jones was returning home from a nightclub performance when his vehicle stalled. He had a .38-caliber handgun in his possession, which he purchased days earlier to protect his $10,000 drum set – which was also in the SUV. Prosecutors said audio recording revealed Raja never identified himself and approached Jones aggressively, causing him to believe he was being robbed. Jones pulled his legally possessed handgun in self-defense and ran before Raja shot him, repeatedly.

Prosecutors said Raja, unaware of the tow-truck dispatch recording, tried to deceive investigators, telling them in a video-recorded interview hours after the shooting he said “Police, can I help you?” as Jones jumped from the SUV. He told investigators Jones pointed his gun, forcing him to fire and as Jones ran, he turned, and pointed his gun again, forcing him to fire more shots. Raja’s defense cited Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, but it didn’t stick.

Jones’ brother, former NFL player C.J. Jones, said he is grateful that the jury convicted the ex-cop. State Attorney Dave Aronberg said the six-person jury “took time out of their busy lives” for two days to hear the case against Raja before their guilty verdict. Raja now faces a sentence of between 25 years and life in prison.

Jones’ father, Clinton Jones Sr., told journalists outside the courthouse, “The truth will always prevail. Regardless of how many bad cops there are, the truth will always prevail.” He added, “And this is what happened today: It was the truth that convicted him. It was the truth that brought him to justice. It was the truth that sent him to jail. It was the truth — that gave us justice for Corey.”

The last time a Florida officer was tried for an on-duty killing was in 1989 in Miami. Hispanic officer, William Lozano, fatally shot a black motorcyclist who he said tried to hit him. A passenger died when the motorcycle crashed, and the deaths resulted in three days of rioting.