WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Prosecutors have filed an objection to a motion seeking a change of venue in the upcoming trial of a former police officer charged in the fatal shooting of Corey Jones.
An attorney for Nouman Raja last week asked Palm Beach County Judge Joseph Marx to move the trial to another county, claiming the former Palm Beach Gardens police officer cannot get a fair trial there because of extensive pretrial publicity.
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But in a motion filed by the state Tuesday, assistant state attorney Brian Fernandes argued that such a determination shouldn't be made until there is an attempt to seat an impartial jury.
"The state merely wishes to preserve the objection to any change of venue at this time as being premature until the issue becomes ripe," Fernandes wrote.
Raja is charged with manslaughter in the 2015 fatal shooting.
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. Raja was on duty but not wearing his uniform at the time of the shooting.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin Thursday.