Explosion at the Boston Marathon.

[DGM]

So at this point, I'm wondering: What were they doing at M.I.T.? Why did they murder a guard there? Anybody know? Bueller?

This seems like a wrong place at the right time. They did not rob the 7-11 and likely they were in the area and this poor cop showed up(responding to an unrelated call). They assumed he was after them and took action. This is all in the same area they lived.

 

[Checkmite]

So at this point, I'm wondering: What were they doing at M.I.T.? Why did they murder a guard there? Anybody know? Bueller?

Why do you think anyone here would know that?

 

[calebprime]

As DGM said, it's the same area. There doesn't have to be a reason they went to that particular 7-11, other than it was nearby.

 

[DGM]

As DGM said, it's the same area. There doesn't have to be a reason they went to that particular 7-11, other than it was nearby.

This was all in your neighborhood (if I remember).

Boston and suburbs is really a very small area (as compared to much of the country).

 

[phiwum]

I'm not pretending any such thing; that's a straw man you and the Intellectual Gladiator have created. I say they moved the investigation forward, and if the law enforcement professionals had shared their information earlier the case would have been resolved that much sooner.

You said that internet sleuthing was responsible for discovering the clearer image of Suspect #2. It wasn't. It was the photographer himself who brought that image to the attention of authorities, so this is not a "win" for the internet kids and their talking dog.

Maybe. I haven't heard the details of why they hijacked a car shortly after (apparently) buying gas at a 7-11, but it's possible that they were identified by someone who saw the well-focused photo, or panicked by the knowledge that it was online.

Oops, there I go again expressing an opinion which isn't a verified fact.

The carjacking occurred after the shooting of the MIT officer. It's reasonable to think that things went to hell at that point. Why did they kill the MIT officer? I've no idea. It's possible, I suppose, that the officer recognized Suspect #2 because of the clearer image, and wouldn't have recognized him otherwise, and this is why things came to a head, in which case I was wrong to say that the photo was irrelevant.

So, if you want me to amend what I said, then, as far as I know that photo was irrelevant to the arrest of one suspect and the death of the other.

Then I think we're in agreement.


Either someone who knew them supplied their names, or when better images became available it enabled law enforcement's facial recognition software to get a match. I'm betting on the former, but I'm willing to be proven wrong.


I agree.

This is apparently not so! The case was blown open by the fact that they killed the MIT officer and then carjacked the SUV. I just don't see sufficient evidence to conclude that (1) this all happened because of the photo you mention and (2) that photo had a darned thing to do with internet sleuthing.

The space age whiz kids just didn't win the day here, near as I can figger.

 

[phiwum]

This seems like a wrong place at the right time. They did not rob the 7-11 and likely they were in the area and this poor cop showed up(responding to an unrelated call). They assumed he was after them and took action. This is all in the same area they lived.

Only guesswork, but it's a reasonably plausible guess.

Suspect #2 was definitely in the 7-11 around the time of the robbery, and that was shortly before the MIT officer was killed. I heard at one point that the officer was responding to a "disturbance" call (correct me if I'm wrong), not the robbery itself, so the details of the encounter are fairly unclear to me.

 

[zeggman]

This seems like a wrong place at the right time. They did not rob the 7-11 and likely they were in the area and this poor cop showed up(responding to an unrelated call). They assumed he was after them and took action. This is all in the same area they lived.

Thanks, that makes sense. I remember taking the subway to The Coop in Cambridge when I went to school there, before realizing that I didn't have cash for the return trip, and having to walk back to Boston. I passed M.I.T., but I don't know where UMass-Dartmouth is. Guess I'll check Google maps.

Hmm, seems to be in Dartmouth. I guess his older brother must live near M.I.T.?

Since being together would make it more likely that someone would recognize them, being out at that hour doesn't seem very smart. They apparently had plenty of munitions with them, so I wonder if they might have been attempting another attack of some sort.

 

[zeggman]

this is not a "win" for the internet kids and their talking dog.

There are some people you just can't have a civil conversation with.

 

[phiwum]

Thanks, that makes sense. I remember taking the subway to The Coop in Cambridge when I went to school there, before realizing that I didn't have cash for the return trip, and having to walk back to Boston. I passed M.I.T., but I don't know where UMass-Dartmouth is. Guess I'll check Google maps.

Dartmouth is very far away.

But MIT is not far from the Cambridge apartment on Norfolk. Presumably, Djhokhar returned to Cambridge some time Thursday (or earlier?).

 

[Checkmite]

They had weapons, "bombs" and/or "grenades", and an explosive vest with them when they shot the officer; so it is reasonable to suspect they had mischief on their minds when they left home that evening.

 

[phiwum]

They had weapons, "bombs" and/or "grenades", and an explosive vest with them when they shot the officer; so it is reasonable to suspect they had mischief on their minds when they left home that evening.

It's not so clear to me that they had explosives with them. I had heard that they stopped by their apartment after the carjacking but before releasing the victim. They could have picked up weapons then.

For that matter, I thought that initial reports suggested the officer was shot with his own weapon, but that seems implausible given that later reports said he was still in his car.

All of these various claims could well be wrong, of course. There's a lot of misinformation out there.

 

[DGM]

Thanks, that makes sense. I remember taking the subway to The Coop in Cambridge when I went to school there, before realizing that I didn't have cash for the return trip, and having to walk back to Boston. I passed M.I.T., but I don't know where UMass-Dartmouth is. Guess I'll check Google maps.

Hmm, seems to be in Dartmouth. I guess his older brother must live near M.I.T.?

Since being together would make it more likely that someone would recognize them, being out at that hour doesn't seem very smart. They apparently had plenty of munitions with them, so I wonder if they might have been attempting another attack of some sort.

UMass-Dartmouth is down by the cape, closer to RI. That's the New Bedford friends connection.

Yes, The brother (and himself, at one time) only lived a few blocks from there.

 

[zeggman]

It's not so clear to me that they had explosives with them. I had heard that they stopped by their apartment after the carjacking but before releasing the victim. They could have picked up weapons then.

For that matter, I thought that initial reports suggested the officer was shot with his own weapon, but that seems implausible given that later reports said he was still in his car.

All of these various claims could well be wrong, of course. There's a lot of misinformation out there.

Maybe we'll get the answers after the trial when someone interviews him in prison.

They had a car. But they hijacked someone else for his car, told him they were the bombers, and released him unharmed.

This after shooting a campus policeman who was sitting in his car.

Some serious levels of crazy there.

 

[Checkmite]

It's possible, I suppose, that the officer recognized Suspect #2 because of the clearer image, and wouldn't have recognized him otherwise, and this is why things came to a head, in which case I was wrong to say that the photo was irrelevant.

So, if you want me to amend what I said, then, as far as I know that photo was irrelevant to the arrest of one suspect and the death of the other.

Since the officer was found dead still sitting in his car, it is more likely that he never saw the suspects.

It's important to note that it was just before midnight that the police apprehended Suspect #1 after the initial shootout and took him to the hospital where he later died; whereas, the names of the suspects were not released until after 7AM the next morning. It's possible that the police or FBI were able to ID the suspect directly once they had physical custody of him, which would've led of course immediately to an ID on Suspect #2.

 

[phiwum]

Maybe we'll get the answers after the trial when someone interviews him in prison.

They had a car. But they hijacked someone else for his car, told him they were the bombers, and released him unharmed.

This after shooting a campus policeman who was sitting in his car.

Some serious levels of crazy there.

Yes, it's all fairly mysterious.

If I had to guess, I'd think that the FBI's release of the photos seriously spooked the two. But they knew the release was coming. It's hard to see why they stayed in the area after the Wednesday fiasco in which the existence of the photos was well-publicized, unless they honestly thought that the photos would not show them at all.

But we'll never be certain unless Dzhokhar talks and the government tells us what he says (or allows an interview or what have you).

 

[phiwum]

It's important to note that it was just before midnight that the police apprehended Suspect #1 after the initial shootout ...

I think you'll find it was a bit after midnight. Minor point, of course.

 

[zeggman]

Somebody correct me if I'm mistaken, but the accounts I've read don't seem to have the guy who was carjacked saying anything about the murdered policeman. If he didn't witness the murder, it doesn't seem like the motive for taking his car could have been to give themselves time to flee the scene. If they're only a few blocks from S1's apartment, they could just walk there.

I suppose it's possible they expected a rapid police presence once shots were fired, and didn't think they could walk home together without being stopped and questioned. And maybe they weren't thinking rationally to begin with. Still, this is an odd sequence of events.

 

[DGM]

Somebody correct me if I'm mistaken, but the accounts I've read don't seem to have the guy who was carjacked saying anything about the murdered policeman. If he didn't witness the murder, it doesn't seem like the motive for taking his car could have been to give themselves time to flee the scene. If they're only a few blocks from S1's apartment, they could just walk there.

I suppose it's possible they expected a rapid police presence once shots were fired, and didn't think they could walk home together without being stopped and questioned. And maybe they weren't thinking rationally to begin with. Still, this is an odd sequence of events.

I just heard on the news an interview with the Watertown police chief. He said they were stopped by a single officer and they were in two cars (the hijacked SUV being one).

I'm sure this will be sorted out eventually.

 

[zeggman]

I just heard on the news an interview with the Watertown police chief. He said they were stopped by a single officer and they were in two cars (the hijacked SUV being one).

I'm sure this will be sorted out eventually.

I assume the officer who stopped them is not the officer who was murdered. If the owner of the car was still with them, he probably would have appealed to the officer instead of running into a convenience store, so this must have been after he'd alerted the police to the carjacking.

My Time magazine came today. Double issue, but it's nothing but "100 Most Influential People". Nothing about the week's events. I'm hoping they just delayed the real issue for a day, and I'll be able to read their account on Monday. There's a 48 Hours tonight; maybe the Watertown police will have a coherent account on that.

 

[DGM]

I assume the officer who stopped them is not the officer who was murdered. If the owner of the car was still with them, he probably would have appealed to the officer instead of running into a convenience store, so this must have been after he'd alerted the police to the carjacking.

My Time magazine came today. Double issue, but it's nothing but "100 Most Influential People". Nothing about the week's events. I'm hoping they just delayed the real issue for a day, and I'll be able to read their account on Monday. There's a 48 Hours tonight; maybe the Watertown police will have a coherent account on that.

They also said the car-jack victim left his phone in the car and they were right on top of them shortly after the initial stop (they tracked the phone).

The MIT officer was earlier and I assume that's when they split into two vehicles but were stopped before they could ditched the first. I don't think it was all that long before they dumped the owner of the SUV (not the half hour that has been reported)