WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A detective testified Tuesday that a former Palm Beach Gardens police officer charged in the fatal shooting of Corey Jones told him a version of events that didn't match the evidence.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Detective Kenny Smith said Nouman Raja told him hours after the October 2015 shooting that he told Jones he was a police officer and made numerous commands to "drop the gun" before he opened fire. But a recording of Jones' call to a tow truck dispatcher doesn't seem to indicate that Raja did either.
In the recording, Raja never identifies himself and is heard opening fire after telling Jones to show his hands.
Raja's attorneys are trying to convince Judge Samantha Schosberg Feuer to dismiss manslaughter and other charges under Florida's "stand your ground" law, claiming Raja feared for his life because Jones pulled a gun. Jones had a concealed weapons permit.
Prosecutors claim Raja instigated the confrontation because he was working undercover and never identified himself as a police officer, leading Jones to believe that Raja was a robber.
Jones, 31, was stranded on the side of an Interstate 95 exit ramp in Palm Beach Gardens after his SUV had broken down when he was shot and killed by Raja on Oct. 18, 2015.
Retired Palm Beach Gardens police Sgt. Andrew Spagg testified that Raja wasn't wearing his tactical vest as instructed.
Dr. John Marraccini testified for the defense Tuesday that Jones might not have left a blood trail after he was shot. He said a shot to the chest took Jones' life within seconds.
"I'm assuming his blood pressure was zero and he's operating under 10 to 15 seconds of brain oxygen," Marraccini said.
Christopher Chapman, a use-of-force instructor, also testified for the defense, saying that an officer may have felt threatened in the scenario that Raja faced.
"All six shots were justifiable?" prosecutor Adrienne Ellis asked Chapman during his testimony.
"Ma'am, I told you that a police officer placed in Officer Raja's position would have reasonably believed that their life was in danger when a gun was pointed at them -- a gun with a laser on it," Chapman said.
But at what point Raja pulled the trigger is crucial in determining whether his self-defense claim is valid.
Jones' body was found about 80 feet away from his gun. His brother learned Jones purchased it the day before.
"I know one of the reasons why he got the gun was he wanted to protect his belongings," Clinton Jones testified.
The judge will issue her decision on whether the case will move forward within 30 days.
