Around Town

Town Manager Releases Statement on Filming at Scene of Watertown Shootout

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Town Manager Michael Driscoll reacted to the proposal to shoot a film in Watertown recreating the events of the Boston Marathon Bombings, including at the site of the Watertown Shootout. Representatives from CBS Films met with residents of Laurel Street on Feb. 12, and shared the proposed schedule. The filming included night action where the sounds of gunshots would be used to recreate the firefight between Watertown Police and the Tsarnaev brothers. Word that the dramatic events would be replayed in the same area where they occurred was met with an outpouring of emotional responses from Watertown residents, a majority of whom opposed the idea.

Boston Marathon Bombing

3 Watertown Police Officers Honored for Facing Marathon Bombers

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Several of Watertown’s finest are going to have to make room in their trophy cases, next to their Medal of Valor and Top Cop awards, after receiving the Congressional Badge of Bravery Friday. U.S. Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Representatives Joe Kennedy and Katherine Clark, and U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz were on hand to bestow the medals to Sergeants John MacLellan, Jeffrey Pugliese, and officer Joseph Reynolds, who received the awards during a ceremony at the Watertown Police Station Friday. MacLellan, Pugliese, and Reynolds were three of the seven officers who engaged the Boston Marathon Bombers in a dramatic shootout that left one of them dead, and launched a massive manhunt for the other. Right before he watched the officers receive their medals, Town Manager Michael Driscoll said he has never been prouder in the 38 years he’s worked for the town. “To the men and women of the Watertown Police Department, thank you,” Driscoll said.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Watertown Police Chief Has Some Regrets About Handling of Capture of Bomber

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Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau told the Boston Globe about some of the regrets he had about how the capture of Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev was handled in April 2013. Deveau said that many of the officers that responded after the shootout got in the way. He also said most were not trained in SWAT tactics, which led to some confusion during the capture of Tsarnaev in the boat on Franklin Street, reports the Globe’s Jaclyn Reiss. When the call went out that the suspect was in the boat, there was confusion with who was in charge of what, Deveau said. Also, many did not have proper equipment for such a tactical situation.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Watertown Police Chief Reacts to Tsarnaev’s Apology

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Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau said he was disappointed by the apology of convicted Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, adding that his words “rang hollow.” Tsarnaev finally spoke publicly during the sentencing hearing on Wednesday in Boston Federal Court. He was officially sentenced to death by Federal Court Judge George O’Toole who said “Tsarnaev he had embraced a cruel God, heeded the jihadist ‘siren song’ and engaged in “monstrous self-deception” to carry out the bombings,” according to CNN. In his statement Tsarnaev apologized and admitted to carrying out the bombing. He also referred to how he became award of the victims.

“I am sorry for the lives that I’ve taken, for the suffering that I’ve caused you, for the damage that I’ve done — irreparable damage …”

Around Town

HBO Production Seeks Residents’ Videos from Watertown Shootout, Manhunt

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You can help contribute to a feature-length documentary film about the Boston Marathon Bombings and the shootout and manhunt in Watertown. 

Break Thru Films will produce the documentary, known right now as the Boston Project, for HBO and seeks personal stories and footage taken by residents. “The film will be a sensitive and in-depth exploration into the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and the subsequent Watertown shootings, told through personal stories of the survivors and citizens of Boston,” said the announcement from Break Thru Films.

Filmmakers are working closely with local universities, running clubs, churches and other local groups, along with the Boston Globe. They hope to find unseen footage from the Marathon, during the bombing at the finish line, the days after the bombing and, of course, the Watertown Shootout, manhunt, lockdown and capture of the Boston Marathon Bombing suspect. The footage and photos can be in many forms.

“If you have any personal footage or artifacts (photos, video, recorded telephone/Skype/FaceTime calls, etc.) taken on personal devices of the Marathon and the 5 days following (set up; the race; bombings; aftermath; lockdown; Police and SWAT house searches, shootings or arrest in Watertown), please contact us at bostonproject@breakthrufilms.org,” the announcement said. Break Thru Films Producers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg have worked on award winning and nominated films including “Joan Rivers – A Piece of Work” (U.S. Documentary Prize for Best Editing at the Sundance Film Festival), “Knuckleball!”

Boston Marathon Bombing

Family Says Officer Died From Injuries From Shootout with Bombers in Watertown

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A Boston Police officer who collapsed and died last year may have died from injuries suffered during the shootout with the Boston Marathon Bombing suspects in Watertown, and his family is seeking benefits related to the incident. On April 19, 2013 Boston Police Officer Dennis Simmonds reportedly rushed into Watertown, where officers were engaged in a fierce gun battle with the Tsarnaev brothers. Simmonds was allegedly knocked off his feet and suffered a head injury after one of the brothers threw an explosive that night. A year later, he collapsed and died while working out at the Boston Police Academy Gym. He was 28, and a six year veteran of the BPD.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Councilor Wants a Community Forum on Watertown Shootout, Manhunt

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With the recent release of a comprehensive study of the response to the Boston Marathon Bombing and events that followed in Watertown that was critical of some of the actions of law enforcement, a Watertown Town Councilor wants to have a review of the shootout and manhunt. Councilor Susan Falkoff said she read the Boston Globe’s recent editorial called “What went wrong in Watertown.” The story detailed some of the shortcomings of the response by law enforcement, and said, “despite good intentions, the presence of hundreds of officers in Watertown put lives at risk and did nothing to assist the search.” At Tuesday’s Town Coucnil meeting, Falkoff said she wants to get some answers about what happened in Watertown on April 18 and 19, 2013. “The citizens of Watertown remain grateful for the work of the police, but the report states that the best practices were not followed,” Falkoff said.

Boston Marathon Bombing

Defense Rests in Marathon Bombing Case, Closing Statements Coming

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Defense attorneys for accused Boston Marathon Bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev rested their case Tuesday, and now all that remains in closing statements before the jury deliberates. The defense called only four witnesses over two days, according to a report by NBC News. With a guilty verdict almost assured, his attorneys argued that Dzhokhar, 19 at the time of the bombings, was manipulated by his older brother Tamerlan (then 26) to do the bombings and attack police, according to the NBC report. Using this strategy, the defense seeks to avoid the death penalty being brought against their client. Tamerlan was killed during the shootout when he was hit by bullets and run over by an SUV driven by Dzhokhar.