Police have cornered a man believed to be the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings in Watertown.
Shots were heard in the area by several correspondents, including CNN’s Drew Griffin and ABC’s Linsey Davis, around 7pmET. On CNN, Griffin recounted what he had heard for Wolf Blitzer.”I just heard what sounded like multiple assault rifle shots to me. Rapidly fired, and then all of a sudden it stopped,” Griffin said.
Shortly after Griffin’s report, the CNN video feed focused on a shot of the media stand-up locations in Watertown that showed NBC’s Lester Holt readying for a live shot (pictured right).
In addition to the coverage on the cable networks, which has continued throughout the day, all three broadcast networks are on the air with special reports that have extended through the evening newscasts.
Around 7:15pmET, NBC dipped into the feed from New England Cable News and a reporter could clearly be heard saying, “we don’t know shit.”
“Well that was a fortuitous time to dip into New England Cable News. We apologize for the language we inadvertently aired during what was a mix-up of communications on their part,” Brian Williams said immediately.
And it may be a long night: around 7:45pmET, Williams read an email from a law enforcement source on the air that said “Believe it’s him. Slow going here.” Stay tuned.
More, 8:33 p.m.: On ABC News, Diane Sawyer talked to a resident of the neighborhood who is a friend of the man that tipped the FBI to the suspect’s location in the boat. “He looked up and noticed something was off about his boat, so he got his ladder, and he put his ladder up on the side of the boat and climbed up, and then he saw blood on it, and he thought he saw what was a body,” he said.
More, 8:42p.m.: NBC News is broadcasting WHDH’s special coverage. The NBC affiliate is reporting that the suspect has been taken into custody alive. NBC confirms; ABC News, CBS News follow minutes later.
On cable, Fox News and MSNBC reported the suspect’s arrest at 8:42 p.m., followed by CNN at 8:45 p.m.
By 10:05 President Obama appeared in the briefing room grieving those lost and thanking the people of Boston and first responders. Also, a message for the media — both social and traditional: “In this age of instant reporting, tweets, and blogs, there’s a temptation to latch on to any bit of information, sometimes to jump to conclusions. But when a tragedy like this happens with public safety at risk and the stakes so high, it’s important that we do this right. That’s why we have investigations. That’s why we relentlessly gather the facts.”
All the broadcast networks are in continuing coverage. “20/20” on ABC, “Rock Center” on NBC and a special report on CBS. At 10:48pm, CBS News airs the first picture of the suspect, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the ground, getting medical care. “The police commissioner believes that he was shot in the firefight last night and had apparently been bleeding for 20 hours before he was found in the boat,” said Scott Pelley.