Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Stephen Stepp talks to the media about the shooting of Corey Jones. (Greg Lovett/The Palm Beach Post)
Update, 4:45 p.m.: Palm Beach Gardens Police has announced a news conference at 5:15 p.m. to discuss the shooting death of Boynton Beach resident Corey Jones.
Palm Beach Gardens police Chief Stephen Stepp is expected to address reporters.
Follow live updates on Twitter here.
LIVE on #Periscope: Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief speaks about Corey Jones shooting https://t.co/lR0bH7c8LD
— Lulu Ramadan (@luluramadan) October 20, 2015
//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Update, 4 p.m.: Palm Beach Gardens officials say they’re saddened by the death of Corey Jones, but they need to wait until they have all the facts from outside investigators before they can share them.
Police say Officer Nouman Raja shot Jones, a 31-year-old drummer from Boynton Beach, during a confrontation about 3:15 a.m. Sunday on the southbound PGA Boulevard exit ramp of Interstate 95. Jones’ car had broken down on his way home from his bands’ gig, friends said. Police said Jones was armed.
Vice Mayor David Levy said he received a text message from City Manager Ron Ferris at 6:37 a.m. telling him about the shooting. He said the city needs to and will cooperate with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation.
The investigation has to run its course, he said. He said he hadn’t been briefed on why the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department’s Facebook page had been shut down, but he received a profane email accusing the City Council of being murderers.
“This is a very emotional issue, and I certainly understand the emotions,” Levy said. “We have to let the facts determine our course of action, and those facts have not been determined yet.”
A thorough investigation needs to be completed in fairness to Jones and Raja, he said.
Mayor Eric Jablin called the shooting a tragedy and said he didn’t think it would be wise to comment until he has all the facts. He said he has “every confidence,” in police Chief Stephen Stepp and has been in constant communication with the city manager.
“The facts are the most important thing. Once we know them, we’ll be able to comment more intelligently on them,” Jablin said. “We have a very professional police force.”
Councilman Joe Russo said it’s a sad time for the city and Jones’ family. He said he spoke with the city manager today, and he’s working to gather as much information as possible. The city doesn’t want incomplete information disseminated to the public, he said.
Everybody wants answers, but the outside investigation by the sheriff’s office won’t be completed overnight, Russo said.
“Everybody wants answers, and I understand. So do I,” he said. “I want the same answers as Corey Jones’ family does,” he said.
There’s nobody in the city who isn’t “1,000-percent” concerned about getting all the correct information out, Russo said. Jones’ family deserves that, he said.
“My condolences and thoughts go out to the family, and I will pray for them,” he said.
Update, 3:30 p.m.: A friend of Corey Jones said the family was meeting Tuesday at a family member’s home and discussing the incident with their attorney.
The friend, Clarence Ellington, said there will be an official statement either Wednesday or Thursday.
There were about six cars parked outside the home. Ellington and a few other men were sitting outside by a neighborhood playground.
“It’s been about 58 hours since he was pronounced dead and we don’t know about anything from the police department,” Ellington said. “Where’s his car? Where’s his drums?”
Ellington said Jones’ drums were inside his grey Hyundai Sante Fe.
Update, 2:30 p.m.: Palm Beach Gardens Police has not released any more information on the shooting of Corey Jones by a police officer since Monday’s statement.
That statement from Palm Beach Gardens Police on Monday read:
PALM BEACH GARDENS POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING INTERSTATE 95 AND PGA BLVD.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL –On Sunday, October 18th, 2015, at approximately 3:15am, a Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer, 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 on the southbound exit ramp of Interstate 95 and PGA Blvd. 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, Corey Jones. Per Department policy the officer is currently on paid administrative leave and an independent investigation is being conducted by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
No additional information at this time.
END
Numerous attempts to reach police officials for more information Tuesday have been unsuccessful.
The Palm Beach Post attempted to reach police spokeswoman Ellen Lovejoy numerous times by phone, as well as an unsuccessful trip to the department on Military Trail north of Northlake Boulevard. Calls weren’t returned by Police Chief Stephen Stepp, City Manager Ron Ferris and city spokeswoman Candice Temple.
Many who are interested in the story have turned to social media looking for answers:
Palm Beach Gardens Police turned over the shooting investigation to an outside agency, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. That office, however, has also declined to comment, citing an open investigation.
Update, 1 p.m.: The Palm Beach Post has confirmed that the family of Corey Jones has hired noted civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.
Benjamin Crump, the lawyer who represented the family of Trayvon Martin, has been hired by the family of Corey Jones.
Jones was shot to death by a Palm Beach Gardens police officer Sunday morning after breaking down on the Interstate 95 southbound exit ramp to PGA Boulevard.
Crump, who is based in Tallahassee, represented the family of Trayvon Martin, who was killed on on Feb. 26, 2012 by George Zimmerman. Crump also represented the family of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old African-American man killed last year in Ferguson, Mo.
Crump is a partner in the Tallahassee-based law firm Parks & Crump, LLC.
Original story: The brother of Corey Jones is C.J. Jones, a former NFL player and both men were close friends of current NFL nose tackle Vince Wilfork. Corey Jones, 31, was killed by an officer in plain clothes in Palm Beach Gardens early Sunday.
Corey Jones, 31, was shot and killed by a Palm Beach Gardens police officer, Oct. 18, 2015.
Wilfork, who played for the New England Patriots for 11 years before signing with the Houston Texans this year, commented on Corey Jones’ death on twitter this morning, saying he knew Corey Jones all his life as a”stand up guy.”
Wilfork, who played for the University of Miami before he was drafted in 2004, graduated from Santaluces High School in Boynton Beach, Corey Jones’ alma mater, family members told The Palm Beach Post. Corey Jones also played football at Santaluces.
Corey Jones was fatally shot by the officer, who pulled up to Corey’s disabled car Sunday at 3 a.m. on an Interstate 95 off-ramp in Palm Beach Gardens. Police say Corey confronted the officer with a weapon before the officer shot him.
> For more on the events that led to Corey Jones’ death, click here.
“I’ve always known Corey forever and I’ve never known him to be anything other than a good dude and a stand up guy…,” Wilfork writes.
Dale Banks, Corey Jones’ aunt, cries as she prays during a gathering in memory of Corey Jones, a 31-year-old drummer who was killed by a police officer in Palm Beach Gardens Sunday morning, at Bible Church of God in Boynton Beach on Oct. 19, 2015. (Brianna Soukup/Palm Beach Post)
Corey Jones’ brother C.J. Jones also played for New England as a wide receiver in 2007 and 2008. He was a member of several other teams’ practice squads: the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos.
Corey Jones’ family gathered at Bible Church of God in Boynton Beach on Monday evening in memory of the slain local drummer. Corey’s aunt Serena Banks recalled him as “meek,” saying it “wasn’t in Corey’s character to be confrontational.”
> Family, friends gather in remembrance of slain 31-year-old drummer Corey Jones
