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Boston to dedicate playground in honor of 5th Marathon bombing victim

BOSTON — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh will dedicate a new playground in honor of Police Sergeant Dennis “D.J.” Simmonds Monday.

Simmonds died in 2014, a year after he was injured in the shootout with the Boston Marathon bombers in Watertown.

Officer Simmonds was injured when a pipe bomb exploded near him during the confrontation between police and Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev days after the bombing. He suffered a fatal brain aneurysm a year later.

Simmonds family fought to have him recognized as the fifth fatality from the Boston Marathon bombing and its aftermath. The bombing victims and MIT Police Officer Sean Collier were mentioned by name in the movie "Patriots Day," but Simmonds was not.

The playground that will bear his name was built in Harambee Park. It has an accessible bridge and tower, as well as slides, wings and a splash pad. There are also two basketball courts, a workout area and pathway.

The dedication ceremony was set for 4:30 p.m. Monday.

MORE: As 'Patriots Day' opens, officer's family seeks credit

The Associated Press contributed to this report.