“Police in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida have refused to explain why an officer shot and killed a black man who was reportedly having car trouble over the weekend. According to WPTV, Palm Beach Gardens Police have only said that one of its officers had shot a man at around 3:15 a.m. on a southbound exit ramp of I-95. Family members confirmed that the man was 31-year-old Corey Jones, who is known in the community for playing drums in several local bands and churches. ‘We don’t know where his body is, we don’t know what’s going on, all we know is someone knocked on the door and said this has happened,’ WPEC was told by Ava Wright, a cousin of Jones. Wright explained that Jones had called an older brother to report car problems while on the way home from a gig on Sunday morning. Jones reportedly said that he would need a ride home after calling a tow truck.” Read the story here.
The police account, to the extent there is one, is that “at about 3:15 a.m., one of its officers shot a man driving on the I-95 southbound exit ramp onto PGA Boulevard.” Beyond that, they won’t say anything, only that “it may take several months to complete the investigation” of the shooting.
But already their story is full of holes. How could Jones have been driving from the exit ramp onto the boulevard if his car was stalled and he needed a tow truck? Looks like the coverup and lying have already begun. His family needs to hire a civil rights lawyer and subpoena the dashcam video and police reports before the cops have a chance to destroy evidence.
Photo: The late Corey Jones with his drums
Update: Police have identified the shooter as Nouman Raja, 38, who has been on the police force only a few months — since April — and was driving an unmarked squad car and was not in uniform. They claim Raja was confronted by an “armed man,” by Jones’ relatives said he was not known to own a gun. And anyway, if you’re a motorist stranded on a freeway ramp at 3 a.m., and you’re approached by a stranger who doesn’t look like a cop, wouldn’t you do something to protect yourself?
America has a policing crisis. Over 1,000 Americans are killed by police every year. In England, the comparable figure is less than 1 per year, which argues these deaths aren’t necessary. At least some are law-abiding citizens who did nothing wrong. And there’s a strong racism component, because incident after incident shows that victims of trigger-happy cops are likely to be black. Police unions are part of the problem. Across the country, cop unions fight efforts to get racist and violent cops off the streets, and in some cases, have even defied their civilian superiors. America’s cops are out of control, accountable to no one, and fundamental changes are desperately needed in how cops are recruited, trained, and supervised.