A look back 29 years after OKC bombing

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Friday marks 29 years since 168 people were killed during the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Among the victims were 19 children.

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh parked a van with explosives outside the Alfred P. Murrah building in downtown Oklahoma City. It exploded just after 9 a.m., killing 168 people and injuring 680 others.

Every year, people across the state honor the lives lost.

FOX23 is live in OKC at the memorial ahead of the remembrance ceremony. FOX23 has covered different memorials over the years.

In 2014, FOX23 spoke with two officers who responded to the bombing.

“I just remembered rounding the corner thinking, ‘holy crap’,” said Cpl. Steve Wood.

“One thing I remember and have always remembered, getting out of the car and just the smell. Kenny D (Daggs) had his dog with us and the first thing is Kenny’s dog sat as soon as he got out of the car. And we knew that with the dog sitting he’s indicating that he smelled explosives,” said Marty Irwin with TPD.

That year, hundreds gathered in OKC for a memorial.

Also happening every year is a memorial marathon to remember the victims.

The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon celebrates life and remembers and honors the 168 victims.

Last year, 19,000 athletes gathered for the marathon. The athletes represented all 50 states and 17 different countries.

This year’s marathon happens April 26 - 28.

FOX23 has also covered the lives of survivors.

Raymond Washburn, a blind man who was credited with helping rescue five people from the rubble of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building, died at 75 in 2022.

Washburn worked the snack bar in the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building for 32 years. He was a proud member of the Yuchi Tribe in Oklahoma. He also attended the Oklahoma School for the Blind in Muskogee where he became an Oklahoma State Wrestling Champion.

Another survivor went on the become a doctor 27 years after the bombing.

At 6 months old, Madison Naylor was one of the youngest survivors of the OKC Bombing. At 27, she matched with OU Medical to begin her residency.

Naylor was a baby at the YMCA daycare near the Murrah building in 1995 when the bomb went off.

“I don’t remember the day, everything I know has been over my lifetime hearing others tell me. I was one of the infants that was evacuated and was okay as it turns out, completely uninjured,” Naylor said.

Now, as we hit 29 years since the tragedy, FOX23 will continue to honor and remember the lives lost.