Following Thursday’s late afternoon release of photos of the two Boston Marathon bomber suspects, brothers from Chechnya (according to the AP), their pursuit has left one brother dead, after a shootout in Watertown, Mass. As a result, libraries, bookstores, and other businesses throughout the greater Boston Area are closed Friday morning.
Newtonville Books in Newtonville, Mass., sent out an e-blast early this morning to its customers that contained a note to residents from the Newton Police Department asking businesses to remain closed until further notice. Harvard Book Store posted a similar notice on its Web site: “We will be closed until further notice in compliance with the requests of law enforcement. Please stay safe, and we'll open as soon as it's safe to do so.”
As a crime scene, the main branch of the Boston Public Library has been closed since Monday. All other branches of the library system will have a delayed opening at noon. The Cambridge Public Library and Watertown Free Public Library are also closed. Many area publishing houses along with other businesses are also closed, since residents have been asked by authorities to stay indoors and the MBTA system has been shut down. The buses are being used to shuttle police involved in the search.
