PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – A roadside memorial marking the spot where authorities say a stranded black motorist was fatally shot by a Florida police officer has been damaged by fire.
The memorial caught fire Thursday. It sits at the base of an Interstate 95 exit ramp and featured homemade signs, candles and stuffed animals. John Slocum tells WPTV (http://bit.ly/1RbWmNp ) he saw the flames Thursday as he drove by. A police officer stopped and extinguished the flames.
The cause of the fire is unknown.
Records show 31-year-old Jones was standing near his broken down vehicle in the early morning hours of Oct. 18 when Palm Beach Gardens officer Nouman Raja stopped in an unmarked van to investigate. Prosecutors say Jones was shot three times. Nouman, whose race is not known, has since been fired.
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Information from: WPTV-TV, http://www.tcpalm.com/tcp/wptv
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