A former Palm Beach Gardens Police officer will likely find out today if he is going home or to prison should the jury in Palm Beach County reach a verdict sometime today.
Former Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Nouman Raja is charged with manslaughter while armed, as well as several other serious felony charges, related to the shooting death of Corey Jones.
In 2015, Mr. Jones was parked alongside an off-ramp on I-95 in Palm Beach Gardens when Officer Raja - driving an unmarked vehicle and not wearing a police uniform - pulled over to investigate.
Mr. Jones was suffering car trouble and was on the phone with a tow truck company. Officer Raja was working an undercover detail looking for burglars and did not know that Mr. Jones was a citizen with a car problem, not a criminal.
In any event, Officer Raja approached and Mr. Jones displayed his firearm. Mr. Jones had a permit to carry a concealed weapon and he may have mistakenly believed that Officer Raja was a robber. It is disputed whether Officer Raja announced that he was a police officer.
Officer Raja saw Mr. Jones' gun and he fired. Being a trained officer, he struck and killed Mr. Jones. After an investigation, the Palm Beach State Attorney charged Officer Raja with manslaughter while armed, and several other charges related to the shooting death of Corey Jones.
If convicted, Nouman Raja faces life in prison.
The jury received the case yesterday after several days of testimony. A verdict is expected today.
The Palm Beach Post has been updating readers frequently and will likely have the verdict announcement once it is available.