Martin Richard had just returned from getting ice cream when the Boston Marathon explosions went off near where he was standing with his family, killing the 8-year-old boy.
Richard was one of three people killed in the bombing on Monday afternoon . His mother, Denise, and 6-year-old sister, Jane, were both badly injured in the attack as well. His mother’s injuries were described as grievou, and she reportedly had surgery for a brain injury. His sister lost her leg in the attack.
Martin’s father was a runner, but both he and another brother watching the race were reportedly unhurt in the Boston Marathon explosions.
“They were looking in the crowd as the runners were coming to see if they could identify some of their friends when the bomb hit,” said US Rep. Stephen Lynch, a family friend.
The family of Martin Richard had a candle burning on the stoop of their single-family home in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, and someone had written the word “peace” in chalk on their front walkway.
“What a gift. To know him was to love him,” said longtime friend Judy Tuttle. “He had that million-dollar smile and you never knew what was going to come out of him. Denise is the most spectacular mother that you’ve ever met and Bill is a pillar of the community. It doesn’t get any better than these people.”
The third-grade student was remembered as a typical boy, who liked to play baseball and ride his bike in the neighborhood. The day after the Boston Marathon explosions, a single bicycle helmet sat overturned in the family’s front yard.
“They are beloved by this community. They contribute in many ways. That’s why you see this outpouring,” City Councilor at Large Ayanna Pressley told The Boston Globe . “It’s surreal, it’s tragic, it’s incomprehensible. Everyone here tonight is trying to comfort one another and be prayerful.”
Martin Richard was one of three people confirmed killed in the Boston Marathon explosions, but doctors noted that many of the 140 still injured are in very critical condition.