Friday 19th April

I feel I have been watching the longest movie ever made.  It started yesterday afternoon when photos of the Boston bombers were released (showing one of them dropping his bag down at the feet of the 8 year old boy who was killed, I can't tell you how that made people feel).   Five hours later they carried out an armed robbery at a convenience store, the owner pressed the silent alarm to the police, who raced to the scene.  There was a gunfight, the bandits were throwing home made grenades out of the window at the pursuing police car.   A police officer and suspect number one were shot dead.  Number two took off on foot.   The Governor ordered all transport systems in Boston to be shut down, and everyone in the area of the manhunt to stay indoors.  Hundreds and hundreds of police combed the area, going from door to door.

During this lengthy manhunt which went on for several hours I left the television to do my chaplaincy round, and have lunch in the hospital cafeteria, then it was back to the television.

Late in the afternoon the transport ban was lifted and people could go outside.   A householder noticed that the tarpaulin on his boat was askew, investigated and saw the bomber inside covered in blood and very injured (the police missed that when they were going door to door)   Police vehicles screamed to the scene, and then it all got very tense.  Those of us watching at the home couldn't really see what was happening.   But then a cheer went up and everyone gathered round watching applauded, and we knew it was all over.

There was great relief that he was still alive so could be questioned, but is critically injured and has been in surgery, but everyone is hoping he will pull through so the police can interrogate him and get to the bottom of it.     Is it a new form of terrorism, who were they working for, or acting alone?

Like I said,  the longest movie ever made.  And apart from the hospital and lunch I just sat riveted to the television watching it all unfold.