The nation was left in shock Monday night as the news of a bombing in Boston was broadcast around the world.
Two bombs went off during the Boston Marathon, injuring spectators and runners. Three people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy.
Amarillo College student Zachary Metzger’s uncle Curt Metzger was in the race.
Curt Metzger, an Arlington resident, said he had finished the race about an hour before the bombing occurred but that he didn’t find out about it until he got back to his hotel.
“It’s (the race) a hectic process without a bombing,” said Metzger, whose hour after the race was spent gathering his things and finding his wife.
“My wife said that she had heard something that sounded like thunder, but she didn’t tell me until after. We didn’t hear anything; sirens and construction are all common sounds in Boston.”
Metzger said that when he heard the news, he was shocked. “My wife was on the same side of the street where the bombs went off,” he said.
Thankfully, Metzger and his wife already were a mile away when the bombing occurred.
Metzger, who had trained 20 weeks for the marathon, sympathized with runners who were not able to finish the race. “I’m attentive to the people who were hurt and killed … (but also) the runners who had trained that didn’t get to finish. There was something like 8,000 runners that didn’t finish.”
“It was an amazing day that was ruined for a lot of people. God will handle it his way; we have to keep on keeping on.”
The Boston Marathon marked Metzger’s sixth marathon, and he said he plans to go back next year.
AC students shared their reactions to news of the bombing. “It shows the signs of our times; this is the world we live in,” said Taylor Pedigo, an education major.
Some students said they were shocked by the news. “It’s really sad. I don’t know how to react to it,” said Dulce Rodriguez, a general studies major. “It’s just tragic. I hope everything is OK with their families.”
USA Today reported, “The explosive devices that killed three people and injured scores at the Boston Marathon finish line were made from pressure cookers filled with metal and ball bearings and left in a backpack, according to a federal law enforcement official.”
There were numerous injuries, from cuts and scrapes to amputations.
Details of the incident still were unfolding. As of Tuesday, there was no suspect.
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