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Muslim civil-rights group calls for DOJ investigation into Todashev shooting

ORLANDO, Fla. — A group that represents Muslim-Americans held a press conference Wednesday to raise questions about the shooting death of Ibragim Todashev.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations is calling for an independent investigation by the Department of Justice to find out why the FBI shot and killed Todashev last Wednesday, claiming he was unarmed.

The shooting occurred on May 22 at the Windhover condominium complex near Kirkman Avenue and Vineland Road.

CAIR director Hassan Shibly said the shooting of Todashev was "excessive and unjust."

"Ibragim was indeed unarmed when he was shot seven times -- what appears to be once in the back of the head," Shibly said.

Channel 9's Ryan Hughes learned a friend of Todashev, Khusen Taramov, was in the townhome, but said he was asked to leave hours before Todashev was killed.

When he came back a couple of hours later, his friend was dead, Taramov said.

The FBI said an FBI agent and two Massachusetts state troopers were in Orlando to question Todashev about his involvement in a 2011 triple murder near Boston that allegedly involved bombing suspect, Tamerlan Tsarneav.

WFTV originally reported last Wednesday that Todashev lunged at the agent with a knife and the agent opened fire, but ABC News sources said Wednesday he wasn't armed.

A medical examiner's office spokesman said Tuesday his death was ruled a homicide but couldn't say more because of the open investigation.

The FBI office in Tampa is working to obtain information on the shooting and the status of the investigation.

Last week, all the FBI would say on the record was Todashev became violent and that caused the agent to shoot him.

Todashev's widow, Reni Manukyan, wiped away tears at Wednesday's press conference. She said Todashev would never do what he is being accused of.

"I would never expect anything from him. Anything that's being told about him -- that he was down - -- it would never get to my mind," Manukyan said.

Manukyan said Todashev had no relationship with Tsarnaev.

"They were never friends. They know each other because they come from the same place: Chechyna," Manukyan said.

Manukyan said Todashev wasn't even in Massachusetts at the time of the murders.

The family is still making arrangements to fly his body to Chechnya where Todashev will be buried.

An FBI spokesman in Tampa late Wednesday told WFTV that he's trying to find out any new details with the investigation.