Today marks the one-year anniversary of the devastating bombings at the Boston Marathon, which left three dead and over 260 injured. Bostonians gathered to remember the victims, as the city gets prepared for its first marathon since the tragedy.
The day started with a quiet ceremony on Boylston Street, where the bombs went off. According to the Boston Globe, it was a private event, with Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and others there. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley was there to read a prayer.
One wreath was placed at the location of the first bomb by Martin Richard’s brother and sister. The 8-year-old was one of the three who died in the blast. Another wreath was placed where the second bomb exploded. There was also a moment of silence in the city at 2:49 p.m., the minute the bombs went off.
“We own the finish line,” U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said during another ceremony at the Hynes Convention Center, reports the Boston Herald. “America will never stand down. We have never, ever yielded to fear.”
“This city came together,” Walsh said during his speech at the event. “We still hurt. We hurt from trauma. We hurt from grief and from loss. ... We can believe that anything is possible. This is Boston. A city of champions. A city of hope and a city of heart.”
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and his brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev allegedly planted the bombs. Days after the bombings, they set off a manhunt when they allegedly shot and killed an MIT officer. While Tamerlan was killed in a shootout, Dzhokhar was arrested. His trial is set to start in November.
The 2014 Boston Marathon is on Monday, Patriots' Day.