Runners’ pace fell as their heartbeat quickened when the ground shook and smoke bellowed in the sky—the unexpected happened as deadly bombs struck runners and bystanders a like near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, April 15 2013.
The race started at 9 a.m. on Monday morning by honoring the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting; little did anyone know another tragedy would strike within hours.
As the bulk of the runners were crossing the finish line around 2:50 p.m., two bombs went off within eight seconds and a hundred yards of each other.
When the first bomb went off, reports indicate bystanders and runners believed that they were to be celebratory fireworks. However, instead of fireworks it was a homemade bomb consisting of a pressure cooker filled with shrapnel including ball bearings, BB bullets, and nails.
According to experts, the bombs used were classified as “low explosive.” However, the timing of the bombs and the amount of shrapnel in them indicate the intention to kill/injure as many as possible.
As a result of the two bombs, three died and 176 others were injured, a majority of which were limb injuries (resulting in amputations) and eardrum ruptures.
Of the three victims, one was an 8-year-old boy, Martin Richard. The other two were females, Krystle Campbell, 29 and a Chinese national attending Boston University and whose parents wish for her to remain anonymous.
With this recent tragedy, official representatives from the NYC Marathon (occurring in November), GO! St. Louis, and even the London Marathon, which is taking place Sunday April 21, are among the many marathon organizations who have released statements of concern and reassurance that their security measures will be amplified to ensure the safety of bystanders as well as participants.
In a statement published by the New York Daily News, Mary Wittenberg, chief of the New York City Marathon said, “Marathons bring out the best of the human spirit and unite our cities and towns. This is a tragic day for all of us in the running community.”
Of what has been said, it is unsure whether the attack was foreign or domestic. However, as promised by authorities and President Barack Obama the person, or persons, responsible for this attack will be found and brought to justice for this “Act of terror.”
Suspicions of other attacks have been on high alert due to the Boston Marathon bombing. It was thought that the historic JFK library, located not too far from the bombing site, was also under a bomb attack but official confirmed that it was “an incendiary” and are currently looking for a connection to the marathon bombing, even though they believe that they are not connected.
While the FBI is not releasing any information regarding suspect(s), authorities did search a Saudi national’s apartment to find a duffel bag and two trash bags. However, nothing of high suspicion was found.
More recently, video footage of a person carrying two backpacks has raised suspicion. Also, footage of a man on a roof has caught the authorities’ attention as well. None of these findings have been confirmed as relative to the bombing.
On Thursday, a police officer was shot and killed on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a car was stolen by two men who took the officer with them then released him later. The police chased the car down to Watertown, where there was a shoot-out the left Tamerlan Tsarnaev dead, and Dzhokar fled.
On Friday, the city of Boston, Massachusetts went on lockdown due to the fleeing of a Boston Marathon Bombing suspect.
Schools were closed, and transportation and flights were cancelled.
The suspects have been identified as brothers: Dzhokar A. Tsarnaev, 19, and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was killed in a shoot-out with authorities.
Dzhokar is currently on the run and has not been caught yet.
The two are reportedly from southern Russia’s Caucasus and are natives of Chechnya, a mostly Muslim region that has been in turmoil since the fall of the Soviet Union.
According to Boston Police Commisioner, the two are believed to be terrorists.
It is still unsure if or what terrorist group they are a part of, and authorities are concerned about outside support that may hinder the search and investigation.
The LHSImage sends their regards to the victims and family members of victims of the Boston Marathon Bombing.
To see a photo of the suspect, go to: http://www.chicagotribune.com/videogallery/75510808/Video-New-Boston-suspect-photo-released
Information from: http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/04/third_explosion_confirmed_at_jfk_library
