Ottawa runner Shelley Baran holds a sign in tribute to the Boston Marathon bombings at the US Embassy in Ottawa. (The Canadian Press/Justin Tang)
BOSTON — Boston Marathon organizers said Thursday a tribute to victims, survivors and first responders will be held on the anniversary of the bombings last year that killed three people and injured more than 260.
The April 15 tribute will be hosted jointly by Boston Mayor Martin Walsh and Gov. Deval Patrick in co-ordination with One Fund Boston, the charity set up to help victims, the Boston Athletic Association said.
The 118th running of the Boston Marathon is set for April 21. “On April 15, we recall the courage, compassion, and commitment of our great city and its people,” Walsh said in a statement.
Prosecutors allege that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 20, and his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, built and planted two pressure cooker bombs near the finish line of the marathon. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died following a shootout with police several days later.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal counts, including using a weapon of mass destruction. He faces the death penalty at trial, scheduled to start Nov. 3.
