With police ordering residents to stay in their homes,
That is a story in itself.
Many folks in the city seem to realize this.
They're Tweeting out striking photos showing what a major American city under what some are calling a version of martial law.
Here is a sampling:
Harvard Square, empty [via @thecrimson @pourmecoffee]. twitpic.com/ckg83s
— Steve Silberman (@stevesilberman) April 19, 2013
The city is almost deserted... #Boston #lockdown #manhunt #ATVNyourview twitter.com/zachherbert/st…
— Zach Herbert (@zachherbert) April 19, 2013
View from my daughter's dorm window of the Boston Common. "Empty. Like a ghost town," she says. twitter.com/cloepoisson/st…
— Cloe Poisson (@cloepoisson) April 19, 2013
#Boston empty. mass ave bridge. twitter.com/cr3dit/status/…
— no bid. (@cr3dit) April 19, 2013
#Boston empty. back bay. twitter.com/cr3dit/status/…
— no bid. (@cr3dit) April 19, 2013
#Boston empty. kenmore-ish. twitter.com/cr3dit/status/…
— no bid. (@cr3dit) April 19, 2013
Downtown Crossing 10:30 am twitter.com/WBURSteve/stat…
— Steve Brown (@WBURSteve) April 19, 2013
Streets in Cambridge and Somerville eerily empty. twitter.com/davabel/status…
— David Abel (@davabel) April 19, 2013
Boston a ghost town. RT @nbcnews: Photo: City on lockdown; an empty Kenmore Square in Boston. (via Andrew Golden) twitter.com/NBCNews/status…
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) April 19, 2013
Inman Square, normally one of the busiest intersections in Boston area, basically a ghost town twitter.com/Dan_Rowinski/s…
— Dan_Rowinski (@Dan_Rowinski) April 19, 2013
PIC from Boston from cnn colleague RT @adamatcnn: Ghost town twitter.com/AdamATCNN/stat…
— Antonio Regalado (@antonioregalado) April 19, 2013
This is what rush hour looks like in #Boston. Empty-so eerie and quiet. #fox6wbrc twitpic.com/ckfh7r
— Beth Shelburne (@bshelburne) April 19, 2013
Streets are nearly empty in #downtown #Boston. twitter.com/mollyoehmichen…
— Molly Oehmichen (@mollyoehmichen) April 19, 2013
Boston Common, totally deserted — via @cj_stevenson twitter.com/CJ_Stevenson/s…
— Kim Bhasin (@KimBhasin) April 19, 2013
RT @stevenerlangerDowntown Boston Friday at 9 am. Virtually deserted twitpic.com/ckf4i6Retweeted by Julia La Roche
— Chris Adams (@chrisadamsmkts) April 19, 2013
The Boston Univ. campus is deserted as everyone is urged to stay indoors and city is shutdown. twitpic.com/ckfmvh
— Justin Abraham (@JustinABC17) April 19, 2013