The explosions at the Boston Marathon and the incidents that followed, including the shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer, have captivated, revolted, and galvanized Bostonians. Survivors of the victims have received an outpouring of support. Here, we focus on the victims.
BOSTON MARATHON ATTACK VICTIMS
The explosions at the Boston Marathon and the incidents that followed, including the shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer, have captivated, revolted, and galvanized Bostonians. Survivors of the victims have received an outpouring of support. Here, we focus on the victims.
Martin Richard, 8, of Dorchester, was the first victim identified. Martin was a third-grader at the Neighborhood House Charter School in Dorchester, where his mother, Denise, worked as the school librarian. He was attending the Marathon with his mother, sister Jane, and brother Henry when the explosions hit.
“My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries,’’ Martin’s father, Bill Richard, said in a statement. “We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin.’’
This image of Martin, released by his school, has been posted on social networks by untold numbers of people.
A number of funds have been started up in memory of Martin Richard, and to assist his family. Click here to see the list.
Krystle M. Campbell, 29, of Arlington, was the second victim identified. Campbell was watching the Marathon at the finish line with her friend when the blasts hit. She was three weeks shy of her 30th birthday.
Krystle’s grandmother, Lillian Campbell of Somerville, said Krystle was “a hard worker and she was always right there if you needed her. All you had to do was call Krystle, and she was there.”
Campbell worked in the restaurant industry, and recently took a job at Jimmy’s Steer House in Arlington, her grandmother said. She previously worked at Jasper White’s Summer Shack in Cambridge and Hingham.
A memorial service will be held at 2:50 p.m. Monday at Massachusetts Bay Community College’s Wellesley Campus for Campbell, a Mass Bay graduate.
The yearbook photo for Campbell, who graduated from Medford High School in 2001.
The third victim identified was Lingzi Lu, 23, of Shenyang, China, who was a Boston University graduate student. The day before her death, Lu discovered she had passed the first half of an exam required for her degree in statistics.
“It has always been her dream to come to America to study,” her family said in a statement. “While she was here, she fell in love with Boston and its people. She loved her new friends and her professors at Boston University. She wanted to play a role in international business, specializing in applied mathematics. She has been studying very hard toward her goal. Sadly, it was not to be.”
Boston University said it has launched a fund that will endow a scholarship in Lu’s name. “It’s a fitting tribute and the right thing to do,” BU trustee Kenneth Feld said.
MIT police Officer Sean Collier, 26, of Somerville, was shot to death late Thursday near the Stata Center on campus. Officials said he was shot when he confronted the two men who masterminded the Marathon bombings.
Collier was a well-liked, dedicated officer, MIT Police Chief John DiFava said. He joined the force in January 2012, according to an MIT statement.
