JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A local man who snapped a photo of Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is remembering what happened one year ago.
David Green, of Jacksonville, was in Boston for the marathon on April 15, 2013. Moments after the bombings, Green turned around a took a picture of the crowd running away.
He turned the photo over to the FBI to see if it could be used in the investigation. Tsarnaev was spotted in the photo in a white baseball hat.
"I feel like my place there was to take one photo and that's all I did, take one photo, that was helpful to a good outcome," said Green.
Green said after he took the photo, he was in bad spirits because he felt he couldn't help the situation.
"I've worked very hard at feeling okay now compared to how I felt in the months after the bombing incident," said Green.
Green saw 7-year-old Jane Richard moments after she lost her leg. Jane lost her brother, 8-year-old Martin Richard, in the bombings.
"An off-duty firefighter, who just happened to be there, ran in. I watched him pull a belt off somebody who was running and tourniquet her leg and probably saved her life," Green remembered.
Green said his life has changed in the year after the bombings. He focuses on making the most of every minute.
"It poignantly brings you to the realization that you have to live life to the fullest in the moment, do good things around you and go on," said Green.
Green plans to return to Boston for this year's marathon. He feels it'll help bring him closure.
"Going back for me will be emotional. I think it'll be uplifting. The world goes on and we can make good out of bad. I know there are a lot of people still wounded and healing, mentally and physically. To the extent we can help them, I want to continue to do so," said Green.
The 2014 Boston Marathon will take place next Monday.