Corey Jones, 31, was waiting alongside a Florida highway next to his broken-down car last month when a Florida police officer shot and killed him. Now that officer has been fired, CNN reports.
Palm Beach Gardens Police Officer Nouman Raja had been on paid administrative leave since fatally shooting Jones Oct. 18.
Raja, wearing plain clothes and driving an unmarked van, was reportedly "working as part of a detail related to a string of burglaries in the city," Palm Beach Gardens Police Chief Stephen Stepp told CNN last month. Raja reportedly left his undercover detail, without authorization, to investigate Jones' broken-down car. What occurred next has been the primary focus of debate, with police saying that Jones, who was licensed to carry a gun, brandished his weapon, which caused Raja to draw his weapon. Jones' gun was never fired. Raja shot six times, hitting Jones three times, CNN reports.
Benjamin Crump, attorney for the Jones family, has said that Raja never identified himself as an officer and that Jones never flashed his gun.
Authorities said Thursday that Raja had been fired, CNN reports. In a statement reviewed by CNN, city officials said that Raja was on probation and could have been fired for any reason, citing the police-union contract. The city did not state whether Raja's firing was directly related to the shooting, noting only that the city had been "cautiously and methodically considering [Raja's] employment status."
"Without any facts of the case or the final investigation, how do you let him go?" countered John Kazanjian, president of the Palm Beach Police Benevolent Association, according to CNN.
Jones' family was pleased with Raja's firing but added that he "must be held criminally liable for his reckless actions that night," according to a statement released by the family's attorneys, CNN reports.
Read more at CNN.