Close to 200 people, including attorney Benjamin Crump, Riviera Beach Police Chief Clarence Williams and County Commissioner Priscilla Taylor have gathered inside the Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church in West Palm Beach for a Town Hall meeting where the community will discuss police shootings in light of the recent death of 31-year-old Corey Jones.
The event is being organized by the members of the F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association (FMCBA) at the church at 801 8th St. The event is for the community to voice their concerns and to brainstorm ideas to foster more positive community-police relations, according to a news release. Also, the group plans to formulate a plan of action.
West Palm Beach Police’s Community Response Team will be at the event to help with traffic or parking issues, said Sgt. Dave LeFont.
» RELATED: Full coverage of Corey Jones shooting
Jones, of Boynton Beach, was killed by Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Nouman Raja early Sunday morning after Jones’ Hyundai Sante Fe broke down on the Interstate 95 southbound exit ramp to PGA Boulevard. Raja was in plainclothes and in an unmarked van and thought Jones’ SUV was abandoned, according to police. As Raja exited his van, “he was suddenly confronted by an armed subject,” police said. As a result of the confrontation, Raja fatally shot Jones, who police said had a gun.
The family has hired attorney civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump.
The Malcolm Cunningham association has called for “transparency and impartiality” in the investigation, which is being done by both the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office.
“It is vital for public confidence, in light of heightened awareness across the Country of police shootings, that process be transparent and impartial,” the news release says.
The association has also called for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or the United States Department of Justice to investigate the shooting.
