Investigators Match DeSalvo DNA to Sullivan Crime Scene
Officials have closed the book on the final in a series of murders allegedly committed by the Boston Strangler. South End Patch News
Elation: Scene of Watertown Capture of Marathon Bombing Suspect
It took a few minutes, but when reality sank in that the second Boston Marathon bomber had been captured in Watertown – their town – the crowd’s mood changed; it became like a victory parade for a Red Sox world championship. After watching the scene in the chilly damp night, being up all night and cooped up all day made, it was extra sweet when the words “suspect in custody” came over the police radio. Two hours earlier, I had been contemplating a second helping of chicken stirfry when the words rarely heard in Watertown came crackling over the scanner: “Shots fired.” My wife, Jen, and I froze and then went into a frenzy. We grabbed our coats and every camera we could get our hands on and jumped in the car. The scene was just two blocks away. Mt. Auburn Street — Watertown’s main thoroughfare — was already blocked off when we got there. Dozens of police talked nervously. Then came a “pop, pop.” Then another, followed by a few more. It was not clear whether they were gas canisters, gun shots, or both. The crowd hushed. I wondered what was happening on the other side of the houses I had stared at, seemingly for several hours. Police cars came and went. Men in heavy body armor and helmets began heading up the street. Then nothing. Everyone seemed nervous. Would the suspect be caputred dead or alive? Would he hurt or even kill an officer – possibly one I know personally? Eventually, word got out — but people didn’t quite seem ready to believe it. A crowd gathered around a car with its radio tuned to a news channel. People clapped when reports that the suspect was subdued and being put into an ambulance. The chill quickly disappeared as the excitement rose. First one police car left – met with some clapping from the crowd. Then more cars rolled by, and finally one police officer waved and yelled “God Bless America! God Bless America!” That was it – the celebration was on. People crowded in, cheering louder and louder and yelling “Good job!” and “Thank You!” A man turned to another and yelled “This is our town!” Being a journalist, I do my best to remove emotion and concentrate on the story. But it was no use; the mood was infectious. Eventally I put down my camera and just watched. I didn’t want to leave the scene, but stories had to be written. It was an added bonus that I was able to share the moment with my wife, an ex-journalist. As we headed back […]
Doctor Recalls Chaotic Scene in Medical Tent After Blasts
Dr. Martin Levine was standing outside a medical tent on Boylston Street Monday afternoon, a half-block from the finish line, when he felt the violent force of the first blast. “Make way! We’re going to have casualties … we need room,” Levine yelled into the medical tent filled with hundreds of runners. The 62-year-old New Jersey resident had taken the day off from his sports and family medical practice in Bayonne, as he has done every year for the last 19 years, to work the finish line at the Boston Marathon. He usually spent the day tending to sprained ankles, knee pain, shin splints and other common distance running injuries. But this year would be different. As the first explosion hit, Levine saw the plume of smoke rise from the crowd at the finish line and said he knew instantly that at least 35 to 40 people were injured. Levine began running toward the injured as the second bomb went off and kept running. He thought there might be a third explosion, but he couldn’t stop. “There’s no discussion. That’s what you have to do, you don’t stop,” he said. He arrived in the area of the first explosion and found a chaotic, gruesome scene: blood covered the street, people’s clothes and skin were still smoking and burnt. Many had lost limbs in the blasts — one man had lost both his legs from his thighs down. At one point, while applying pressure to one of the injured’s wounds to stop the bleeding, he looked down and saw a foot on the ground. “The smell and visual was extreme,” Levine said. But amid the chaos, he saw hundreds of emergency service workers, police, firefighters and first responders, along with ordinary citizens, working together to help the victims, Levine said. Using wheelchairs, backboards and gurneys, they managed to transport the injured back to the medical tent. Patients were given fluids and IVs. Levine and other physicians asked people for their belts and used them as tourniquets in a pinch. “We don’t do this kind of work,” Levine said, “no one does this kind of work unless you’re in war.” “Hopefully we were able to save lives.” South End Patch
Boylston Crime Scene Still Closed, MBTA Running Normally
A 12-block downtown triangle continues to be closed to the public following the Marathon Monday bombings. Boylston Street from Massachusetts Avenue to Clarendon Street and Huntington Avenue to Newbury Street are closed to pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Copley Station is closed. Trains are running passed this station. MassPike exit 22 on the eastbound side toward Copley Square remains closed. MBTA Police are randomly searching riders’ bags. Passengers on a commuter rail train early Wednesday morning in Framingham were evacuated and searched. The train was cleared to continue. A Wednesday morning accident has caused the MBTA to terminate the E branch of Green Line service at Brigham Circle. Riders must use the 39 bus route for service between Brigham Circle and Heath Street. South End Patch