The office of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued an apology Wednesday after Tamerlan Tsarnaev's name was listed as a victim of gun violence at a New Hampshire rally held by Bloomberg's gun-control group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
"(Tamerlan Tsarnaev) was absolutely not a victim, his name should have been deleted before the list was provided to a family member for reading and his name should never have been read," a spokesman for Mayors Against Illegal Guns told the New Hampshire Union Leader. "It was a mistake, it should not have happened and we sincerely apologize."
Organizers for the event, which was held in Concord, N.H., read a list of the names of gun violence victims who have died since the Dec. 14, 2012 Newtown, Conn., shooting, and that list included Tsarnaev's name. The list originated on Slate.com, according to the Mayors Against Illegal Guns spokesman.
Tsarnaev, the elder of the two brothers responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing, was killed earlier this year during a violent confrontation with police in the days after the bombing. His brother, Dzokhar, also backed over Tamerlan with a car.
This is not the first public relations flare up for Bloomberg's group. A number of members have been arrested for alleged crimes including reckless endangerment, accepting bribes, felony corruption, and the assault of a police officer.