CAMBRIDGE MA April 19 2013
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) police officer has been killed in a shoot-out with suspected Boston Marathon bombing suspects.
The mayhem began at approximately 10:20 p.m. Thursday when police said the bombing suspects robbed a 7-Eleven store in Cambridge. Minutes later, police said, the men shot and killed the MIT campus officer responding to the robbery call. The terror suspects then carjacked a Mercedes-Benz with the driver inside and fled, eventually letting driver go. They were then spotted in Watertown where they exchanged dozens of rounds of gunfire with patrol officers.
One of the suspected bombers was killed in the shoot-out.
Federal agents swarmed Watertown after local police were involved in a car chase and shootout with the men identified Thursday by the FBI as Suspect 1 and Suspect 2. During the pursuit, officers could be heard on police radio traffic describing the men as having handguns, grenades and other explosives.
The Associated Press identified the surviving Boston bomb suspect as Dzhokhar A. Tsarnaev, 19, of Cambridge, Mass., and said that the suspects were brothers.
"This is situation is grave and we are trying to protect the public safety," said Massachusetts State Police Col. Timothy Alben, who ordered a temporary lockdown of Watertown, Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge, Newton, Allston and Brighton.
"We believe this to be a terrorist," said Boston police Commissioner Ed Davis. "We believe this to be a man who has come here to kill people. We need to get him into custody."
Both men are also believed to have been wearing explosive body packs.
A transit officer was seriously wounded during the exchange of gunfire, officials said.
The identity of the MIT officer has not yet been released.