Former Florida cop gets 25 years’ jail for killing stranded black motorist
A former US police officer has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for killing a stranded black motorist four years ago.
Former Palm Beach Gardens police officer Nouman Raja, 41, shot dead 31-year-old drummer Corey Jones in Florida on October 18, 2015.
Last month, Raja was convicted of manslaughter while armed with a firearm and attempted first-degree murder and was sentenced yesterday.
Nouman Raja (pictured) has been sentenced to 25 years in jail for shooting dead Corey Jones in 2015. AP/AAP
Jones' family sang the gospel song "Victory is Mine" as they walked out of the Florida courthouse.
"We knew what the truth was and we stood by that," the victim’s father, Clinton Jones Sr, said.
"Because of the son we had raised and the type of character he had, we knew ... it wasn't our Corey."
Corey Jones, 31, was shot dead on October 18, 2015. From Facebook
The former officer was on duty but was wearing street clothes and was driving an unmarked car when he came upon Jones.
Jones was heading home after playing a gig when his car broke down on a highway off-ramp.
He was on the phone with a roadside assistance operator when Raja approached his car, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Kattie Jones and her husband, Clinton Jones Sr, the father of Corey Jones, walk down the hall from the courtroom after Nouman Raja was found guilty. AP/AAP
Defence lawyers argued that Raja fired his weapon after Jones pointed a gun at him, while prosecutors claimed Jones thought he was being robbed because Raja did not identify himself as an officer.
Raja fired six shots, hitting Jones with three of them.
Benjamin Crump, the family lawyer, told CNN that Jones never fired his gun and had tried to run away.
Erich Smith, an FBI forensics firearms examiner, testifies about his tests on Nouman Raja's Glock handgun during Raja's trial on March 4, 2019. AP/AAP
Jones' death is among several controversial police shootings in recent years that have sparked protests and raised questions about race and policing.
Jones was black and Raja is Indian-American.
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