A former Florida police officer has reportedly been found guilty of manslaughter and attempted murder in the fatal shooting of a black man in 2015.
A Palm Beach County jury announced the guilty verdict against Nouman Raja Thursday morning, according to The Associated Press.
{mosads}Raja, who has been on house arrest since being charged with fatally shooting black motorist Corey Jones, is the first officer in Florida to be convicted in an on-duty shooting in three decades, the AP noted.
The shooting reportedly occurred after Raja approached Jones, 31, whose car had broken down on an interstate exit ramp.
Raja, who is of South Asian descent, was in plain clothes and drove an unmarked van at the time of the shooting, according to the AP, which added that prosecutors said the officer did not identify himself to Jones.
Jones, believing he was being robbed when Raja approached him, reportedly pulled out his handgun, which he carried legally. Raja then shot and killed Jones. The former officer’s attorneys said he fired in self-defense.
Raja now faces life in prison.