Corey Jones trial: Ex-police officer Mouman Raja convicted in shooting of stranded black musician

Nouman Raja now faces life imprisonment

A former policeman has been found guilty of shooting dead a black musician who was stranded in his car – the first time in 30 years in Florida that an officer has been convicted of an on-duty shooting.

A jury on Thursday found Nouman Raja guilty of the 2015 shooting of Corey Jones. He now faces life imprisonment.

Raja’s lawyers claimed the officer had shot the musician in self-defence after he approached his car and Jones took out a weapon he had a licence for.

But after deliberating for about four hours, the jury found the former officer guilty of manslaughter and attempted first-degree murder.

While Raja reportedly showed no emotion as the verdict was delivered after the eight-day trial, Jones’s parents, Kattie and Clinton Jones Sr, left the court in tears. They joined supporters to link hands and offer prayers for the ruling.

The family issued a statement that was read out by one of the prosecutors.

“For three long years since the heart-wrenching and senseless death of Corey Jones, his family and countless others have been waiting for justice. Today, a Palm Beach County jury delivered that justice,” it said.

“This verdict is a vindication of the good man that was Corey Jones and an utter repudiation of a criminal who tried to hide behind a badge.”

Mr Corey said he was “filled with joy” by the verdict and that his emotions were running high. However, he said he was not surprised by the decision.

“The truth will always prevail. Regardless of how many bad cops there is, the truth will always prevail,” he told the Sun-Sentinel.

“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 judge ordered Raja’s bail be revoked and that he be taken into custody ahead of sentencing on April 26. One member of Jones’ family told local media “the sweetest sound was the click of those handcuffs”.

Raja was in plain clothes and driving an unmarked white van in the dark when he drove the wrong way up a highway ramp in Palm Beach Gardens, 80 miles north of Miami, to Jones’s broken down vehicle. The musician was travelling with drums valued at $10,000 in the back of his SUV.

The Associated Press said an audio recording revealed Raja never identified himself and approached Jones aggressively, making him believe he was being robbed.

Prosecutors said that caused Jones to pull his legally possessed handgun. Raja then shot him repeatedly.

Lawyers for Raja said he identified himself and justifiably shot Jones because he feared for his life.

Reports said the last officer convicted in Florida over an on-duty shooting was Miami cop William Lozano, who fatally shot Clement Lloyd in 1989. He was convicted of two counts of manslaughter, but an appeals court dismissed the verdict, saying the trial should have been moved because of racial tensions. Mr Lozano was then acquitted in a retrial.