PHOTOS: Boston Marathon Memorial Relocated
With more gifts being added daily, the makeshift memorial to the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings has been relocated from Boylston Street to the nearby sidewalk. The pile of flowers, cards, posters, flags, T-shirts, teddy bears and other items is now set up at the corner of Boylston and Berkeley streets, against the corner of the Bank of America building in anticipation of the Copley Square area being reopened to the public later this week, once the FBI finishes its investigation. South End Patch
Photos of Bombing Suspect Hiding in Boat Released
Massachusetts State Police released five photos on their Twitter account on Saturday afternoon showing marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev hiding in the boat in Watertown. Flip through the photos to see shots from the State Police Air Wing, including photos with a thermal imaging camera, which show the suspect within the boat. South End Patch
PHOTOS: Boston Celebrates Bombing Suspect’s Capture
After a long day trapped indoors under a citywide lockdown, Boston residents were eager to hit the streets Friday night to celebrate the apprehension of the two suspects believed responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing and to celebrate the end of what many called a “very long week.” By 11 p.m., Boston Common was filled with hundreds of people, many college-aged, who stood around in clusters wearing and waving American flags, cheering and breaking into song—“God Bless America,” “The Star-Spangled Banner” and that old Boston favorite, “Sweet Caroline.” A huge group of people filled the Common’s bandstand, climbing the poles and one another’s shoulders, hanging over the edge and leading chants of “USA, USA!” and “BPD! BPD!” Another chant: “We got him!” Others lined up to shake the hands of Boston police officers who stood off to the side keeping an eye on the crowd, while others shouted, “Thank you! God bless!” at them. Drivers honked and blared patriotic music as they drove down streets that had mostly been deserted all day, while pedestrians let out whoops and shouts of “USA!” as they walked. New Haven, CT resident Mauris Nnamani drove up Friday night to check on his girlfriend, who lives on Beacon Hill. He was on the road when he heard that police had apprehended the second bombing suspect in Waterford. “It’s great. I think it’s great for us to celebrate. We just apprehended the suspect in this tragic event,” Nnamani said. But he also felt it was too soon for people to become complacent about safety. “I think that we all should take care and we should make sure that everything is safe. We don’t know if they had accomplices that are still around,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for everybody to come in a big crowd yet until we actually get all the information and know what’s going on.” A group of students from Boston Conservatory said they had partied on campus and decided to venture out to see what the rest of the city was up to. They wandered down to the Prudential Center side of Copley Square to watch CNN’s Anderson Cooper and other TV people report from the edge of what is still blocked off as a crime scene. Asked what it was like to go through the lockdown, student Matthew Rodin said, “It was a long, hard day. It was a long, hard week. But this is the perfect way to end a Friday night.” “It’s such a blessing just to know that we can finally sleep and feel totally at ease for the first time this […]
PHOTOS: Boston Streets Deserted as Manhunt Continues
Images of downtown Boston Friday morning are hard to believe, as streets and areas that should be bustling with people are shown empty and deserted—”like a ghost town,” as many have said on social media. Police were still in the middle of a hunt for a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing by around noon. Got a good image of the city (taken from the safety of your home)? Upload it here or email to becca.manning@patch.com. South End Patch
FBI Releases New Photos of Marathon Bombing Suspects
The FBI released new photos of the Boston Marathon bomber suspects in the early hours of Friday morning. The 2 a.m. posting included direct shots of the two suspects’ faces. The wee-hours release comes on the heels of Thursday afternoon’s press conference, when 11 images and a video segment of the suspects were released. South End Patch
PHOTOS: Boston Marathon Memorial Grows
The memorial at Boylston and Berkeley streets was just starting to take shape on Wednesday, as people dropped off flowers, cards, posters, marathon medals and other items throughout the day in tribute to those injured in Monday’s bombing at the Boston Marathon. By Thursday, the memorial had grown quite a bit, and developed a look of organization, as a velvet rope was placed around the site, keeping the memorial from getting crushed by the crowd of people who continue to flood in—some bringing their own gifts to add to the pile and others just coming to watch. Nantucket resident Ed Starbuck said he wanted to come help out at a memorial event but ended up helping out at the memorial site instead. With his beagle Rosie keeping watch on the growing pile of gifts, Starbuck organized bouquets as they arrived, straightened posters, arranged stuffed animals and handed out individual flowers for children to place as they wanted. South End Patch
FBI: Have You Seen These Men? Bomber Photos, Video Released
The FBI has released photos and videos of two suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing. Lead agent Richard DesLauriers said the FBI has developed a two suspects in the case. Suspect One is seen in the photos wearing a dark hat. Suspect Two is in a white hat and set down a bag just in front of the Forum restaurant. The suspects were seen walking together at one point, he said. There is also photos and videos of the men apart. “We know the public will play a critical role in identifying and locating these individuals. Somebody out there knows these individuals as friends neigh coworkers or family members of the suspects,” said DesLauriers. DesLauriers said the suspects are considered armed and extremely dangerous “Do not take any action on your own. If you see these men, contact law enforcement,” he said. You can see all of the photos at the FBI website. Anyone with information about these men can contact officials at boston@ic.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), and select prompt #3. South End Patch
PHOTOS: Interfaith Service Dedicated to Marathon Bombing Victims
President Barack Obama will be in the South End on Thursday to lead a special interfaith service dedicated to the victims of the attacks at the marathon on Monday. The service is being held at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in the South End. In addition to Obama, federal, state, local officials will join first responders, civic leaders from communities along the marathon route, medical personnel, victims and their families, as well as volunteers from the Boston Athletic Association have been invited to attend. See photos from the service in the gallery above. South End Patch
PHOTOS: Mourners Flock to Bombing Site
Some came bearing presents: Red Sox T shirts, handmade cards and signs, flowers—even their hard-earned Boston Marathon medals. Some came to watch as FBI crime scene investigators continued to sweep the area around Copley Square for clues in Monday’s bombing. Others came to take pictures, to talk, to listen, to stand in silence and take it all in. Natalie Rincon and Mary Light came to give hugs. Rincon, a Brighton resident, and Light, an Ashland resident, stood outside the blocked off area of Copley Square on Wednesday afternoon holding up bright pink and yellow signs reading “Free Hugs/Abrazos Gratis, 9/15/13.” Many people smiled at them, and a few even took them up on their offer. “We both work in this building [on Boylston Street], and our company’s very hug central—there’s a lot of hugging every day. We thought it’d be our little bit to bring back to Boston,” Rincon said. “It was a very eerie walk to work this morning. Everybody was very quiet. And we thought it would be something nice to cheer people up.” Rincon and Light had the day off from the office Monday during the Boston Marathon, but Rincon was working a second job at a restaurant on Newbury Street—right behind the scene of the second explosion. “There was lots of chaos,” she said. Boston resident Brenda Gailhouse said she wanted to come to the makeshift memorial to see what was happening and to get a sense of the feeling in the neighborhood. “We used to live here for a long time. You want to feel connected to it somehow, I guess,” she said. The mood she experienced at the site was one of mixed emotions. “You see a lot of different feelings from people. You see people crying, you see people talking about what happened. It’s almost a way to process the whole thing,” she said. Back Bay resident Roberta Orlandino called the mood “very somber.” “This is my neighborhood, really. I grew up in Boston and it’s very sad to see that something like this could happen. It’s sad for the world, it’s sad for Boston and the marathon and the runners and the professional athletes,” she said. South End Patch
PHOTOS: Vigils for Victims in Boston
Hundreds and hundreds of people turned out to several vigil events held around the city of Boston on Tuesday night. Mourners gathered on Boston Common early in the evening to sing together, light candles and make signs to express their support for the victims and for the city of Boston. South End Patch