FBI Being Sued for $30M in Orlando Shooting Death of Boston Marathon Bomber’s Friend

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is being sued for $30 million in the shooting death of Ibragim Todashev, friend of Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

Todashev, 27, was shot and killed in an Orlando apartment by FBI agent Aaron McFarlane when he reportedly became violent, after hours of questioning about the Boston attacks and a separate 2011 triple homicide in Waltham, Mass.

On Monday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Florida chapter said, the organization is moving forward with a plan to sue the FBI and will seek $30 million in damages on behalf of Todashev’s family.

“We want to send a strong message to the FBI that they can’t engage in … predatory behavior and misconduct … We also want a change of policy so this never happens again,” said CAIR Florida’s chief executive director Hassan Shibly.

Todashev was shot seven times, an autopsy revealed.

CAIR and other advocacy groups say the circumstances surrounding Todashev’s death remain murky, with some officials changing and making contradictory statements about whether or not he was armed when he was killed.

A statement from the Todashev family said they want to ‘”draw public attention to the illegal practices, abuses of power, and civil rights violations by the FBI.”

In separate reports, Florida state attorney Jeff Ashton and the U.S. Department of Justice cleared McFarlane of any wrongdoing and ruled he acted in self-defense when he shot and killed Todashev.

According to a 2013 investigation by the New York Times, the FBI has cleared every officer in 150 shootings since 1993.