The Boston Marathon Bombing Memorial at the race finish line on Boylston Street.
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — A wreath-laying ceremony was held Tuesday morning to mark the deadly Boston Marathon bombing 12 years ago.
Three people were killed, hundreds injured.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said to honor the memories of the victims, people were encouraged to take part in service and acts of kindness.
The city recognized Tuesday as One Boston Day.
Other activities and events were planned to include an upcoming clean-up day at Franklin Park on Saturday and a Blood Drive at Kenmore Square on Marathon Monday, April 21.
While the bombing was more than a decade ago, its memories are still fresh in the minds of people.
WBZ NewsRadio spoke with some who were in the area of the race finish line Tuesday morning.
Mark said he remembered the day of the bombings like it was 'yesterday.' "Me and my wife were at the playground with our kids, and someone came up to us and asked, 'Did you hear what happened?' I'll never forget it. It was shocking."
Another person said he was at the race that day. "People were running, we ran, and that was pretty scary," he said. "And then we got home and hugged our kids a little tighter."
Among the victims that day was 8-year-old Martin Richard who went to the marathon with his parents.
During a tense, four-day manhunt that paralyzed the city, MIT police officer Sean Collier was shot and killed in his car.
Boston Police Officer Dennis Simmonds, who was injured in the confrontation with the bombers, died a year later.
One of the bombers, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was killed when he was run over by his brother Dzokhar as he fled following a gunfight with police.
Dzokhar Tsarnaev was convicted and sentenced to death.
His death sentence was vacated on appeal in July 2020, but the U.S. Supreme Court reversed that decision in March 2022.
As of 2025, he was being held on death row at ADX Florence federal supermax prison in Colorado.
WBZ NewsRadio's Jared Brosnan (@jaredbrosnanwbz) reports.