Newly released court documents reveal that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the younger of the two brothers who are suspected in the April 15 Boston Marathon terrorist bomb attacks, suffered massive gunshot wounds to the face during his arrest.
His most serious wound came from a bullet that entered the left side of his mouth and exited the lower left side of his face, a trauma surgeon at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center who treated the 19-year-old said, CNN reported.
Dr. Stephen Ray Odom’s April 22 testimony: “This was a high-powered injury that has resulted in skull-base fracture, with injuries to the middle ear, the skull base, … [his] vertebrae … as well as injury to the pharynx [and] the mouth.”
The testimony was unsealed on Monday. The doctor does not conclude whether Tsarnaev’s wounds were self-inflicted or from officers’ bullets.
Police ultimately found him cowering in a boat that was stored in the backyard of a Watertown, Mass., house after a lengthy manhunt that spanned miles of the Boston region. He’s charged with the murder of four people.
CNN reported that other court documents unsealed said that federal agents were able to question the suspect for two days without Miranda warnings, using an exemption that’s lawful for “public safety” issues.
Tsarnaev’s older brother, Tamerlan, was killed when the younger brother ran over him as police were trying to handcuff Tamerlan Tsarnaev, authorities said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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