At 2:49 p.m. on April
15, 2013, two bombs exploded near the finish line of the
Boston marathon killing three people, injuring 282 others and horrifying an
entire nation.
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon
hosted by several cities in Greater
Boston in eastern Massachusetts.
This year the run was interrupted by two bombs. The
bombs exploded about 13 seconds and 180 yards (170 m) apart near the finish
line. The United States had been attached and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
immediately began the hunt for the minds behind the horrific act.
After the FBI took
over the investigation they asked the public for assistance on providing them
with information before and after releasing photos and videos of two suspects. The
suspects were identified that day, with help from the public, as brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.
After the release of
the photos several drastic events followed. The suspects killed an MIT police
officer, carjacked an SUV, and participated in a shootout with the police in
Watertown, Mass.. During this shootout an MBTA police
officer was critically injured and Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed
because of injuries gained from the shooting. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was injured but
somehow escaped. With one suspect dead and the other on the run an
unprecedented manhunt developed, with thousands of
police searching a miniscule 20-block area of Watertown.
A day after the
bombing on April 14, authorities asked residents of Watertown and surrounding
areas, including Boston, to stay indoors
and only allow a police officer to enter ones home. Also the public
transportation and most businesses and public institutions were shut down. The
usually hectic and crowded city became deserted and eerie. The manhunt
continued and through technology and the determination of millions Dzhokhar was
eventually found. Dzhokhar was then arrested and taken to a hospital after he
was found hiding around 7:00 p.m. in Watertown.
On April 22,
Dzhokhar was charged with using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction resulting in
death and with malicious destruction of property resulting in death while still
in the hospital and confined to a bed. The United States is still recovering
from the bombings and will survive this tragedy as a stronger nation.