A Cop Who Killed A Stranded Black Driver Became The First Officer In Florida To Be Convicted Of An On-Duty Shooting In 30 Years

Nouman Raja, who is of South Asian descent, faces 25 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty in the 2015 fatal shooting of Corey Jones.

Tasneem NashrullaBuzzFeed News Reporter

Posted on March 7, 2019, at 4:10 p.m. ET

Lannis Waters / AP

An ex–Florida police officer, Nouman Raja, was found guilty of manslaughter and attempted murder Thursday for shooting and killing a black man in 2015.

The verdict means Raja, who is of South Asian descent, is the first officer in Florida to be convicted of an on-duty shooting in 30 years, the Associated Press reported.

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Raja was fired from the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department shortly after the shooting and has been under house arrest since being charged in 2016.

A Palm Beach County jury reached its verdict after deliberating for more than four hours over two days.

Raja, 41, now faces 25 years to life in prison for killing a 31-year-old stranded black driver, Corey Jones.

On Oct. 18, 2015, Raja was on duty in plain clothes and in an unmarked cargo van while investigating late-night auto burglaries in the area. Jones, a drummer for a reggae band, was driving on the highway after returning from a performance when his car broke down.

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Around 3:12 a.m., Jones was on a phone call with a roadside assistance call center to explain his car's mechanical problems, according to the criminal complaint. He had a handgun with him, which he had legally purchased days earlier to safeguard his $10,000 drum set in his car, the AP reported.