‘There goes another false narrative’: Muslim community leaders confirm Usaama Rahim wasn't shot in the back

Greg P. | 2:12 PM on June 03, 2015

As we reported earlier, a narrative emerged shortly after the shooting death of terror suspect Usaama Rahim that law enforcement officers were somehow not justified in using deadly force when Rahim allegedly attacked them with a knife on Tuesday. This narrative gained traction as users shared social media posts from Usaama Rahim’s brother that said Usaama had been shot in the back at a bus stop while on the phone at the time of the shooting, contrary to what the FBI and Boston police said what happened.

But we are starting to get reports from local Muslim community leaders who were allowed to watch the surveillance video of the incident and see for themselves what happened. The result? Rahim wasn’t shot in the back at a bus stop nor was he on the telephone:

Community leader who saw shooting video in Boston says suspect was shot three times but not in the back. Watch live http://t.co/HAhU3MmiMf

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) June 3, 2015

Boston commissioner: Video shows officers retreated as suspect moved forward; they shot when suspect got too close. http://t.co/5RObiNePDE

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) June 3, 2015

Clergy: Video supports cops’ account of CVS shooting http://t.co/n4nkaITcn4 pic.twitter.com/BLqJWvoOgj

— Boston.com (@BostonDotCom) June 3, 2015

From Boston.com:

Police showed a surveillance video of the shooting to Boston-area religious leaders Wednesday. They said in a news conference that they did not see Rahim shot in the back or talking on the phone.

“What the video does reveal to us very clearly is that the individual was not on a cell phone, was not shot in the back, and that the information presented by others not on the case was not accurate.”