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Corey Jones Family Leery Of Grand Jury

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WEST PALM BEACH (CBSMiami/AP) - The family of a man who was shot and killed by a Palm Beach Gardens officer while he waited on the side of the road for a tow truck said they are leery of the State Attorney's Office decision to send the case to a Grand Jury.

Flanked by members of Corey Jones family, attorney Benjamin Crump they are concerned because 99-percent of the time a Grand Jury will not return an indictment in a case like this.

"Families of color don't get justice when cases are turned over to a Grand Jury," said Crump.

"The Grand Jury will do what the State Attorneys Office wants them to do," he added. "If the prosecutor wants an indictment, the Grand Jury will indict. We can't escape those statistics."

"We want justice," said Jones' brother C.J.

Melissa Jones, the dead man's sister, said that after meeting Wednesday with Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg and his staff the family now feels they have the "passion" to press the case to the grand jury.

"I'm angry. I'm angry because it shouldn't happen. He took my son's life," said Jones father Clinton. "I'm angry this officer didn't do his job properly, I'm hoping Corey gets justice."

Jones, who was a musician, was heading home from a gig just before dawn on October 18th when his SUV broke down on an Interstate 95 off ramp in Palm Beach Gardens. A fellow band member tried unsuccessfully to jump start the vehicle, then left Jones, 31, to await a tow truck along a dark interstate ramp in the affluent city north of West Palm Beach.

Officer Nouman Raja Raja, who had been investigating local burglaries, stopped to check out what he thought was an abandoned vehicle and "was suddenly confronted by an armed subject," according to Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Stephen Stepp

Raja was in an unmarked car. He was on-duty but not in uniform.

Raja fired six shots at Jones, hitting him three times, officials said. Police later recovered a .38-caliber handgun at the scene, which Jones had bought a week earlier. Jones had a concealed weapons permit and was legally allowed to carry the gun, which his family said he kept because he was hauling expensive equipment.

His family and lawyers have insisted he would not have had his gun out as Raja approached if he had identified himself as a police officer or shown a badge.

The department fired Raja after the shooting.

Investigators with the State Attorney's Office have already interviewed 230 people, many of whom were staying at hotels along the busy interstate. Aronberg added that his office has remained in contact with Jones' family and tried to be as thorough and transparent as possible.

"This is the most ridiculous high jacking of justice I've ever seen or heard of in my life," said Edward Rodgers, a former judge. "And Mr. Aronberg, I told him so at the last public meeting, he should be ashamed of himself pretending to look out for people and help."

There have been two other police-involved shootings since Aronberg, a Democrat, took office in 2012. The grand jury found that both of those were justified, said assistant state attorney Brian Fernandes.

Aronberg is up for re-election this year.

Jones was a housing inspector and part-time drummer who performed with local bands. He had attended The University of Akron as a marketing major and mentored with My Brother's Keeper, an organization that helps black youth.

Raja's van had no dashboard camera, and Palm Beach Gardens officers do not wear body cameras.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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