Boston – Surveillance video of a confrontation between terror investigators and a suspect who they say was armed with a military-style knife shows authorities acted “reckless” and “dangerous” by fatally shooting him in a parking lot during rush hour, a city Muslim leader and a black activist said Tuesday.
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Sadiki Kambon, of the Black Community Information Center, suggested that the video shows police never intended to apprehend Usaama Rahim, who terrorism official say was under 24-hour surveillance and had planned to carry out an attack on police imminently.
“The intent was to take Mr. Rahim down,” he said at a news conference. “That was pretty clear from the way they conducted themselves.”
Rahim, a 26-year-old black Muslim security guard, was killed June 2 after authorities approached him in the city’s Roslindale section while he was on his way to work. Police say officers shot Rahim after he lunged at them with a large knife
Stephen McNulty, spokesman for the Boston Police Department, said Tuesday that officers are trained to respond to imminent threats as they did. “We don’t meet lethal force with nonlethal force,” McNulty said. “That’s not an option.”
The grainy surveillance video, shot in the rain about 50 yards away from where the shooting took place in a CVS parking lot, was released publicly Monday and shown privately last week to Rahim’s family and community leaders.
Rahim’s family has said the surveillance video raises questions about the shooting, insisting it doesn’t show Rahim brandishing a weapon or approaching officers aggressively as authorities have said. They also question whether deadly force was necessary and whether it was appropriate to approach Rahim in a “military-like formation” without a warrant.
Authorities, meanwhile, say the video confirms officers acted responsibly, drawing their guns only after backing away and giving Rahim multiple chances to drop the roughly one foot long knife.
Former Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner, who is black, said authorities’ actions need to be reviewed.
“There needs to be re-examination at the highest levels,” Turner said Tuesday. “Sending five armed officers out in the beginning of rush-hour traffic to apprehend someone that you think is dangerous does not make sense.”
Imam Abdullah Faaruuq, head of the Mosque for the Praising of Allah, where Rahim and his family prayed, called authorities’ actions “reckless” and “dangerous” and suggested that they should have shared their concerns about Rahim with him or other community leaders.
“Why do you have to wait and wait and wait, like he’s going to take over the world with a bowie knife? This is ridiculous,” Faaruuq said. “If they have concerns with the Muslim community, they should contact me. If I know someone is radical, I’m turning them in. I’m not going to let them do anything that harms me or themselves.”
McNulty declined to comment further on the comments at the news conference.
Another armchair general !
If he maintains that he wouldn’t use lethal force while being attacked by a maniac with a hunting knife, he’s lying
If a terrorist approaches someone with a knife, and the terrorist has been given ample verbal warnings to drop the knife, and he refuses, and continues to move forward in an aggressive manner, then law enforcement is justified in using deadly force. Of course, the Imam and his supporters have their job to do, and play the victim. Five months ago, there was a similar incident at the Port Columbus International Airport, in Ohio. An individual, who tried to board an airliner using fake ID was turned away. In addition, his car was illegally parked, near the terminal. When police officers at the airport tried to question him, he became hostile, and came at them with a knife. They backed away, and implored him numerous times to drop the knife. However, he kept approaching them in a threatening manner with the knife. They had no choice, but to shoot him dead. Case closed!
I must commend the officers on a job well done. They did exactly what they were trained to do. Stay strong Boston, especially your officers. Keep up the good work
come on, we should let the imam deal with moslem terrorists on our behalf. He knows whom to turn in and whom not. We can trust him and his colleagues _ NOT!
Pls take one look at this picture and commit this summer to not wear a baseball cap while davening with a minyan. Forgot to bring your Borsalino? Daven with no hat as just using a baseball cap for sake of saying you have a hat on, detracts.