Questions Abound After Officer Guns Down Church Drummer Along Highway

The police officer who killed a well-known local musician and city employee in Delray Beach, Florida, has been put on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Corey Jones, a 31-year-old drummer who regularly played at the Bible Church of God in Boynton Beach, where his grandfather serves as bishop, was leaving a gig on early Sunday morning when his car broke down on Interstate 95. As he was awaiting roadside assistance, Officer Nouman Raja arrived in an unmarked police car.

What happened next is hard to nail down, as Raja was not wearing a body camera, no witnesses have so far stepped forward, and the police released only a short vague statement on what transpired.

"Nouman Raja, on duty in a plain clothes capacity, in an unmarked police vehicle, stopped to investigate what he believed to be an abandoned vehicle," Palm Beach Gardens police said in a statement. "As the officer exited his vehicle, he was suddenly confronted by an armed subject. As a result of the confrontation, the officer discharged his firearm, resulting in the death of the subject."

When Raja approached Jones's car he was not wearing a uniform. The police department has not yet said what type of weapon Jones was allegedly carrying.

However, on Tuesday afternoon, local TV station WPBF released a fuller account of the incident, citing an anonymous source in the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office. According to the source, Raja told investigators that he had identified himself to Jones as a police officer, and that Jones produced a weapon. Raja then says he shot at Jones, who then fled on foot. It remained unclear whether the physical evidence at the scene matches that description of events. But the anonymous source also told WPBF that investigators found a Jimenez Arms 380 semi-automatic pistol, with six live rounds in the magazine, at the scene — a gun that is not issued to police officers.

Family members first learned of Jones's death when he didn't show up for church the next day. His relatives and friends say they can't fathom why he was shot.

Jones's aunt Serena Banks told the local Palm Beach Post that she thinks Jones did have a gun permit, but that he would never fire on an officer. Other family members have told the media that Jones did not own a gun.

On Monday night, over 100 friends and relatives gathered for a prayer service to mourn Jones's death at Boynton Beach church. They expressed their disbelief at the reported circumstances of his death, and challenged the police version of events.

"He respected everyone. I can't imagine what could have happened that would cause the police officer to be threatened by Corey," Dorothy Ellington, Jones's boss the Delray Beach Housing Authority, told WPTV West Palm Beach. "Corey was not a threat to anyone,"

"I love cops. I have nothing against the cops," his uncle Frederick Banks said. "But when people do things… when cops do things that are wrong… I think there needs to be some justice done."

BREAKING: Palm Bch County Police Union Prez says Gardens PD is not being transparent ab — Brian Entin (@BrianEntin)October 20, 2015

On Tuesday, John Kazanjian, the president of the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association, told WPTV that officers were receiving death threats in the wake of the shooting. He urged the department to release more details of the incident to the public to ease tensions.

"We don't want another Ferguson. They need to get out there and address the public," he said. "Chief, get out there and tell the public what is going on."

Photo via Flickr