In Boston, Lockdown Became Time To Spend With Friends

Transcript

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

And of course last night, many Bostonians cheered the news that the second suspect in the marathon bombings had been captured. While the backdrop is tragic, residents across the city permitted themselves a moment of celebration. People were also expressing relief that the lockdown of the city was officially over.

NPR's Chris Arnold visited a lockdown party in Boston and filed this report.

CHRIS ARNOLD, BYLINE: It's not much fun being holed-up in your apartment or house, getting anxious while listening to the news, so when the stay in your house order was lifted, some residents here decided to come together for an impromptu Boston lockdown cocktail party.

(LAUGHTER)

ARNOLD: The neighbors were having a good time, but soon they were gathered around the TV, as it become clear that the suspect was now pinned down in a boat in a backyard in Watertown after another gunfight.

(SOUNDBITE OF TV BROADCAST)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: The reason that nobody's approaching right now is because of the whole issue with the volatile explosives that could be harmful.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: So do you know what the next step here?

ARNOLD: Eventually the news came out that the officers had just captured the suspect alive and out on the streets of the city people celebrated.

(APPLAUSE)

ARNOLD: Back at the party at Moira Didi's(ph), a reference librarian at a nearby public library, she seems like she's finally able to exhale a bit.

MOIRA DIDI: A sense of relief, questioning what's next; why, who is this person, motive? And I think appreciation for all of the police and first responders who have been working so hard to keep our city safe and apprehend this person.

ARNOLD: Of course the juxtaposition of cheering so soon after such a terrible tragedy could seem in a way callous, but Didi thinks that it's just a human reaction to everything that's been happening. And she says she's also very happy that they caught the suspect alive. So is Brian Weber. He's a patent attorney who lives down the street.

BRIAN WEBER: I'm excited that the - excited's probably the wrong word - but I'm relieved that it's over and I'm glad they got him out alive because I think it's important to get some answers about why. The fact that the one suspect was not found alive had me a little worried that we would never know why, and that's important for closure.

ARNOLD: Still, even with the capture, so far there are many unanswered questions, such as why did two people who have lived in this area for years suddenly decide to do something so terrible? Chris Arnold, NPR News, Boston.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.