Atlanta marks 30 years since Centennial Olympic Park bombing

Remembering the Centennial Olympic Park bombing 30 years later

Thirty years after the deadly Centennial Olympic Park bombing shattered the summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, locals still reflect on the terrifying tragedy. The blast on July 27, 1996, killed two people and injured more than 100 others who had gathered to have fun and celebrate.

ATLANTA - Monday marks 30 years since the deadly Centennial Olympic Park bombing shook Atlanta during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, killing two people and injuring over 100 others. 

What we know:

The explosion occurred on July 27, 1996, in the middle of a crowded celebration at the park. Security guard Richard Jewell spotted a suspicious package and alerted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Jewell and other law enforcement officers quickly cleared the area before the bomb detonated. Though initially named a person of interest, Jewell was later cleared by the FBI and is honored today with a plaque at the park.

30th anniversary of Centennial Olympic Park bombing

Monday marks 30 years since the Olympic Park bombing at Centennial Olympic Park. Our Kaitlyn Pratt with details on what happened that day, including the bomb detonation at 1:20 a.m. during the late evening concert at the Global Olympic Village site during the Atlanta Games.

Dig deeper:

Over the following two years, two additional bombs detonated in Atlanta at an abortion clinic and an LGBTQ bar. Authorities identified Eric Robert Rudolph as the suspect in 1998, though he remained on the run until his 2003 arrest in North Carolina.

RELATED: Centennial Olympic Park bombing: Looking back 26 years later

In 2005, Rudolph pleaded guilty to all three Atlanta attacks as well as a fourth bombing in Birmingham, Alabama. He remains incarcerated at a Supermax prison in Colorado.

What they're saying:

A local parking attendant who was reassigned to the State Capitol area that evening recalled hearing the news shortly after the blast. He reflected on how frightening and sad it was for an attack to target people gathering to celebrate.

"Things like that shouldn’t happen," he said. "When people were trying to have fun, get together, be crowded, you know, something in the middle of that celebration, things like that happen."