Boston Marathon bombing

The Boston Marathon was run on Patriots’ Day, April 15, 2013. Two bombs detonated about 210 yards apart at the finish line on Boylston Street near Copley Square. The explosions killed 3 civilians and injured an estimated 264 others, who were treated at 27 local hospitals. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted of 30 charges, including use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death.

About Boston Marathon bombing in brief

Summary Boston Marathon bombingThe 117th annual Boston Marathon was run on Patriots’ Day, April 15, 2013. Two bombs detonated about 210 yards apart at the finish line on Boylston Street near Copley Square. The explosions killed 3 civilians and injured an estimated 264 others, who were treated at 27 local hospitals. At least 14 people required amputations, with some suffering traumatic amputations as a direct result of the blasts. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was convicted of 30 charges, including use of a weapon of mass destruction and malicious destruction of property resulting in death. Two months later, he was sentenced to death, though in July 2020 this sentence was vacated and is to be reheard by a new trial. The Boston Police Department set up a helpline for people concerned about relatives or acquaintances to contact and provide information about missing people. The American Red Cross helped concerned friends and family receive information about runners and casualties. The Massachusetts Management Agency suggested people trying to contact those in the vicinity use text messaging instead of voice calls because of crowded cellphone lines. The airspace over Boston was restricted, and departures from Boston’s International Airport were halted as a result of a bomb scare. An unrelated electrical fire at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in nearby Dorchester was initially feared to be a bomb. The bombings took place nearly three hours after the winning runner crossed the marathon finish line, but with more than 5,700 runners yet to finish.

Runners continued to cross the line until 2: 57 p. m. The first bomb exploded outside Marathon Sports at 671–673 BoylSTON Street at 2: 49: 43 m. At the time of the first explosion, the race clock showed 04: 09: 43– the elapsed time since the Wave 3 start at 10: 40 a.m. The second bomb exploded 14 seconds later and one block farther west at 755 Boylstone Street. At 2:49: 57: m., 14 seconds and 210 yards apart, the first bomb went off at 756 Boylston Street at 671 –673 Marathon Sports at 755 Martha Street. The blasts took place near the end of the race, with runners still crossing the line. Police closed a 15-block area around the blast site; this was reduced to a 12-block crime scene on April 16. The FBI released images of two suspects who were later identified as Chechen Kyrgyzstani-American brothers Dzhakhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. They killed an MIT policeman, kidnapped a man in his car, and had a shootout with the police in nearby Watertown, during which two officers were severely injured. Tamerlon was shot several times, and his brother Dzhkhar ran him over while escaping in the stolen car; Tamerl Tsarnaev died soon after. An unprecedented manhunt ensued on April 19, with thousands of law enforcement officers searching a 20- block area of Watertown; residents of Water Town and surrounding communities were asked to stay indoors.