Bill Richard, the father of 8-year-old Martin Richard, one of the three victims killed as a result of the Boston Marathon bombings on Monday, is thanking Americans for their prayers and thoughts during this difficult time for his family.
"My dear son Martin has died from injuries sustained in the attack on Boston. My wife and daughter are both recovering from serious injuries," Richard said in a Tuesday statement, published by the Boston Globe.
"We thank our family and friends, those we know and those we have never met, for their thoughts and prayers. I ask that you continue to pray for my family as we remember Martin," the father added.
Eight-year-old Martin Richard was reportedly waiting near the finish line with his sister and mother for his father to complete the 117th Boston Marathon when a bomb exploded, injuring all three family members.
Martin Richard passed away due to his injuries, while his sister and mother sustained serious injuries due to the blast, which reportedly occurred from a pressure cooker hidden inside of a black nylon backpack.
As The Christian Post previously reported, Martin's sister, Jane, reportedly lost a leg due to Monday's blast, while his mother, Denise, may have sustained brain injuries.
Members of the Boston community attended a vigil for Martin on Tuesday at the city's Garvey Park, where the young boy reportedly played.
"We come before You [God] as residents of a neighbourhood who have been touched all too directly by the reality of violence and evil in our midst," Pastor John Connolly of St Brendan's Church said at the vigil, as reported by NBC News.
"What once seemed to be something we watched in the distance or on television has come all close to home," the pastor added.
The tragic death of young Martin has resulted in the 8-year-old becoming the poster child for Monday's attacks, which also took the lives of 29-year-old Krystle Campbell and a Boston University graduate student.
Although reports of the injured remain fluid, the most recent number indicates that 176 people have been injured as a result of Monday's attack.
President Barack Obama has described Monday's attacks, in which two bombs exploded at the world-famous Boston Marathon, as a "heinous, cowardly" act of terror.
Investigators of the Boston bombing announced Wednesday afternoon that they believe they have identified a suspect in the terror attack in a surveillance video.
President Barack Obama will be attending an interfaith vigil service in Boston on Thursday to honour those killed and seriously injured in the marathon attack. He will be accompanied by the First Lady.
