8-Year-Old Martin Richard, Youngest Killed In The Boston Marathon Bombing So Far

Update: The Washington Post has corrected previous reports stating Bill Richard, Martin Richard's father, was competing in the Boston Marathon. Bill Richard did not run in the race and the family also has an older son.

Martin Richard and his family were watching the Boston Marathon near the finish line while his father competed in the race before the explosions went off on Monday. The 8-year-old boy was killed, and his 7-year-old sister and mother suffered serious injuries.

The Dorchester, Mass., family was near the finish line at Copley Square when the first of two bombs exploded, according to the Dorchester Reporter. Martin's sister, Jane, suffered a severe leg injury, and their mother, Denise Richard, had to be rushed to a nearby hospital for emergency surgery.

Bill Richard, the boy’s father, is the board chairman of the St. Mark’s Area Main Street group, a nonprofit organization that connects local businesses and institutions to revitalize the business district.

Friends from the Richards' Dorchester neighborhood watched the news for updates on the family, including Jim Keefe, whose sons Nick and James had also run in the marathon, notes the Dorchester Reporter. Nick had just crossed the finish line at Boylston Street, a block away from Copley Square, before the first explosion. Nick and James Keefe were unharmed and were able to find their family nearby.

The Richards were not so lucky. According to Boston Globe columnist Kevin Cullen, Bill Richard had just completed the marathon and Martin went out to hug his father and returned to his mother and sister just as the first bomb exploded. Jane’s leg was “blown off” in the explosion, Cullen notes. A third Richard child was unharmed in the blast, the Boston Globe says.

The two bombs killed at least two others besides Martin and injured more than 150, many critically.