New Details About 8-Year-Old Boy Who Was Killed in Boston Bombings: He Was Waiting to Hug His Dad

Martin Richard, 8, died in the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday (Photo Credit: Facebook)

As the details of the horrific Boston Marathon bombings unfold, one of the most heart-wrenching elements is the death of an 8-year-old boy. Media outlets have identified the young victim as Martin Richard from Dorchester, Massachusetts. His mother and sister were also reportedly seriously injured in the blasts.

Martin was apparently waiting at the finish line to give his father, who was participating in the race, a hug when the bombs went off. An article in the Boston Globe describes the horror that the Richard family has experienced -- and continues to endure.

The boy allegedly walked toward the finish line to greet his father, but after his dad, William, kept walking, Martin rejoined his mother and little sister on the sidewalk. It was at that moment, the Globe reports, that the explosives detonated.

In addition to killing Martin, the bomb took his sister's leg and injured his mother (some outlets are claiming that the mother, identified as Denise Richard, had surgery on Monday night to deal with a purported brain injury). NBC reports that a third child is allegedly uninjured.

William is cited in numerous articles as a community leader in Dorchester -- and, on Monday night, people assembled at a local restaurant to remember Martin and to honor the family. Leaders and residents, alike, were stunned by the immeasurable loss.

"They are beloved by this community. They contribute in many ways. That’s why you see this outpouring," explained City Councilor at Large Ayanna Pressley in an interview with the Globe. "It’s surreal, it’s tragic, it’s incomprehensible. Everyone here tonight is trying to comfort one another and be prayerful."

Details about the boy are still emerging, but a neighbor named Jane Sherman described Martin as a child who enjoyed riding his bicycle and playing baseball, WCVB-TV reports.

"There are no words to describe how they are feeling ... we are feeling," Sherman said in an interview with the outlet.

HLN has more about the young boy and his family:

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