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Boston Firefighters: Paramedic's photo proof of Boston Marathon bombing heroics is false

BOSTON — Paramedic Shawn Daniel told his bosses at the St. Louis Fire Department he rushed to the scene of the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013.

He even showed them a photo of himself tending to the wounded in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks as proof, according to St. Louis fire officials.

But FOX25 Investigates has now learned Boston firefighters have officially identified the first responder in that photo as one of their own.

Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for the Boston Fire Department, said he knows the real identity of the first responder in that photo, who is seen kneeling over an injured bystander whose shoes are covered in blood.

That man is a Boston firefighter – and not Shawn Daniel – according to MacDonald, who told FOX25 that the firefighter doesn’t want to be publicly named.

“When I looked at the photo – and I showed it to several of my colleagues – instantly we said, ‘That's a Boston firefighter,’” said MacDonald. “It's troubling that a person who is not a member is claiming to be a member. That's certainly troubling.”

FOX25 Investigates broke the story Wednesday that Daniel's former coworkers were questioning his claims of heroics at the marathon finish line.

The St. Louis Fire Department, where Daniel works, launched an internal investigation after Investigative Reporter Eric Rasmussen traveled to Missouri in search of answers.

FOX25 Investigates first began looking into Daniel’s claims after first responders in Boston and St. Louis contacted FOX25 about the story of Shawn Daniel, who was honored as a “Hometown Hero” at a St. Louis Blues hockey game last week.

“Yeah, there's a lot of holes in his story,” said Matthew Miner.

Miner was Daniel’s direct supervisor at the time when he was working in New Hampshire as a paramedic for private ambulance company American Medical Response.

His former supervisor and coworkers told FOX25 Investigates that on the day of the bombings Daniel was actually based 72 miles away from the Copley Square finish line, assigned to drive a wheelchair transport van in Somersworth, New Hampshire.

“We would have known if he was sent there,” said former coworker Danielle Patrick. “We would have been told.”

FOX25 Investigates asked Daniel’s former employer, American Medical Response, for dispatch records showing where he was that day, but they declined the request.

The company has confirmed Daniel was an employee at the time but a spokeswoman told FOX25 she could not confirm his account of his actions that day.

Daniel has not responded to FOX25’s phone messages seeking comment.

FOX25 Investigates also reached out to the St. Louis Fire Department for updates on its internal investigation, but a spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.