Photo Essay: The Oklahoma City Bombing, 20 Years Later
Kelsey Lucas /
On April 19, 1995, 168 people were killed and 680 injured in the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City—leaving the country in mourning and in shock.
The blast damaged or destroyed 324 buildings, ruined 86 cars and shattered 258 windows in nearby buildings. It was the work of two domestic terrorists, Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.
Today, 20 years later, we take a look back at the destruction and lives changed—and lost—by the terrorist attack.
The remains of automobiles with the destroyed federal building in the background two days after the bombing. (Photo: Staff Sgt. Preston Chasteen/Department of Defense)
Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968—June 11, 2001) was a U.S. Army veteran and security guard who was convicted of bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Building on April 19, 1995, the second anniversary of the Waco siege, as revenge or to inspire revolt against what he considered a tyrannical federal government. (Photo: Bob Owen/San Antonio Express-News)
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building before destruction. (Photo: Wikipedia)
Photo: John Whelihan/ZUMAPRESS.com
An aerial view, looking from the north, of the destruction. (Photo: Sheri Hronek/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Photo: Newscom
A shrine to the dead at the site of the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. (Photo: Newsroom)
Jimmie Boldien hugs the chair of his aunt, Laura Jane Garrison, at the Oklahoma City National Memorial on June 11, 2001. (Photo: Vert/Newscom)
Visitors to the Oklahoma City National Memorial gather around the reflecting pool on April 19, 2000, for a five-year memorial ceremony. (Photo: Horiz/Newscom)
Six years after the bombing, a family member mourns at the memorial. (Photo: Ed Lallo/ZUMAPRESS.com/Newscom)