BOSTON // Devastated friends and neighbours yesterday mourned the little boy who was killed in the Boston Marathon blasts.
Martin Richard, 8, was one of three killed in the explosions on Monday, said US Representative Stephen Lynch, a friend of the boy's family for 25 years.
Martin's mother Denise and sister Jane, 6, were badly injured. His brother and father were also watching the race but were not hurt.
They had gone to get ice cream, then returned to the area near the finish line.
Neighbour Jack Cunningham said Martin's father was a runner but had been injured and could not run.
"They were looking as the runners were coming to see if they could identify some of their friends when the bomb hit," Mr Lynch said.
Yesterday, a candle burned on the stoop of the family's home and "peace" was written in chalk on the front path.
"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."
Neighbour Betty Delorey, 80, said Martin loved to climb the neighbourhood trees and hop the fence outside his home.
"I'm sick to my stomach," she said. "It's hard to say anything, really."
Martin's father Bill is the director of a local community group, andhis mother works as a school librarian, where her children attend classes.
"We are devastated," said Bodi Luse, a school spokeswoman. "The whole community is devastated."
* Associated Press
