BOSTON — Former Boston Police Commissioner Bill Evans recalls April 15th, 2013 as one of the most traumatic days of his career.
About an hour after running 26.2 miles, completing the Boston Marathon, he was called back to the finish line to witness the devastation caused by the detonation of two bombs.
“To see… the destruction, to see the young boy bodies lying on the street… it breaks my heart ten years later to even think about what happened on that tragic day,” Evans told Boston 25′s Kerry Kavanaugh. “As much as people are talking about the 10th… I think I have a lot of anxiety about it showing up, believe it or not.”
Evans recalls his heart beating a mile a minute as he saw barriers and windows blown apart on Boylston street and baby carriages left abandoned. “It was probably one of the most overwhelming feelings I’ve ever had in my career,” he said.
In the days that followed, Evans recalls the intense manhunt for the bombers that brought them to Watertown. He was one of the first 3 officers on the infamous boat sitting in a driveway, capturing one of the bombers who was wounded and hiding out.
But even as a city was reeling from the unthinkable... he says something else was happening simultaneously.
“Everybody has to come together. And that’s why the whole idea of Boston Strong came about,” Evans said.
A decade later, Evans has now retired from Boston Police and heads up public safety at Boston College. At age 64, he’s lacing up for what will be his 60th marathon.
“Everybody’s running, always remembering the poor victims that poor day,” Evans said. “I think the pride and how we responded hopefully brings some level of comfort to the families.”
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