Photos of Tsarnaev brothers shootout with police in Watertown street taken by eyewitness Andrew Kitzenberg

New photographs taken by an eyewitness reveal the dramatic gun battle which broke out between police and the Tsarnaev brothers in a residential street of Watertown, leaving Tamerlan Tsarnaev dead.

The images, taken by Andrew Kitzenberg, a resident of the Watertown street, in the early hours of Friday, show the Tsarnaev brothers sheltering behind a vehicle and clearly taking aim at police officers.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, and his brother Tamerlan, 26, are seen running to a car for more supplies before hauling out a pressure cooker bomb they then detonated, filling the street with smoke.

The photographs, taken on the eyewitness’ phone from a third-floor bedroom overlooking the harrowing scene, are the first images giving insight into the fraught battle that left one brother dead.

They come as Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who is recovering from a gunshot wound to the neck in hospital, told investigators that his brother Tamerlan was the ringleader in the attacks.

Andrew Kitzenberg, who snapped the photographs as he sought refuge in his home, shared the dramatic images and details on his blog.

“I was in my living room working on my computer when I heard multiple <<pops>> coming from outside,” he recalled.

“At that point, I had no idea that I was about to become an eye witness to the biggest news story in the country.

“When I looked outside my window, I could clearly see two people [the Tsarnaev brothers] taking cover behind an SUV and engaging in gunfire.”

Andrew Kitzenberg ran to the third floor of the home to seek shelter from the gunfire.

“As I ran into my room, overwhelmed by shock, adrenaline, and curiosity, I jumped onto my bed to stay below the windows but also have a clear view at the shooters and photograph the event,” he said.

He described seeing the men jump out of a green sedan, which they returned to for supplies – “assumingly, more ammunition and explosives”.

In another picture, he highlights a dark object that he identifies as a pressure cooker bomb.

“The use of this explosive created an enormous cloud of smoke that covered the entire street,” he wrote.

“While the street was still cloudy with smoke one of the brothers started running down the street towards the officers, while still engaging them in gunshots.

“As he got closer to the officers, within 10 -15 yards of them he was taken down.”

Andrew Kitzenberg added he had been unable to see whether police knocked him to the ground or shot him.

His brother then jumped in their car and barreled towards the police cars barricading the end of the street. Authorities said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev ran over his brother, who was later pronounced dead.

The images reveal the moment Dzhokhar Tsarnaev headed for the police cars – dodging between two.

“The SUV side swiped both cars taking out doors and windows and ultimately broke through the vehicle barricade and continued driving west on Laurel St.,” Andrew Kitzenberg wrote on his blog.

“This was the last I saw of the black SUV.”

The battle took place after the FBI released the Tsarnaev brothers’ photographs on Thursday – four days after they allegedly detonated two bombs at the Boston marathon, killing three and injuring 180.

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