City fires officer who shot Florida church drummer Corey Jones

Yamiche Alcindor | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Florida officer fired for fatal shooting A Florida police officer has been fired for a fatal shooting of Corey Jones.

The officer who shot and killed a Florida church drummer while he was waiting by his disabled car has been fired, officials said Thursday.

Corey Jones, 31, died around 3:15 a.m. on Oct. 18 while waiting for a tow truck. The Palm Beach Gardens Police Department has said Officer Nouman Raja got out of his car to investigate what he thought was an abandoned vehicle and was suddenly confronted by "an armed subject" whom the officer then shot dead. Police said they found a gun on the scene.

Raja, 38, was not wearing a body camera, and none of the department's squad cars are fitted with dashboard cameras.

The city said in a statement it had "cautiously and methodically" considered Raja's employment and fired him on Wednesday.

Jones' family said in a statement that they were pleased by the city's action, but want to see criminal chairs brought against Raja.

"We maintain that the officer in question also must be held criminally liable for his reckless actions that night," they said. "Our family remains hopeful that the outside agencies brought in to investigate Corey's killing will soon begin to yield factual information about how and why this officer acted so callously."

Raja, 38, was not wearing a body camera, and none of the department's squad cars are fitted with dashboard cameras.

The city's statement said an independent criminal investigation into the shooting continues.

Jones was licensed to carry a weapon and bought his first gun about 18 months ago to protect himself because he often played late-night gigs and carried a lot of expensive equipment, his sister Melissa Jones, 29, told USA TODAY. That first gun was later stolen, so Jones bought another gun by making monthly payments, she said. He picked it up three days before his death, she said.

Rev. Al Sharpton, president and founder of National Action Network, commended the city Thursday. "The National Action Network applauds the firing of the officer who killed Corey Jones, Nouman Raja," he said in a statement. "I spoke at Corey Jones’ funeral and all of NAN are committed to standing by the family in their quest for justice. This is one step in that direction."