It was almost a surreal moment. The President of the United States walked down a red carpet to a podium from which he would announce the death of the most wanted man in the world. Ecstatic crowds wouldn’t wait for the official announcement, gathering on Pennsylvania Avenue to cheer what seemed like a victory over a decade-old tragedy. By mid-afternoon the next day, most of the crowds were gone, but an American flag remained after a college student climbed up a streetlamp and held it above the crowd below him.

The demise of Osama bin Laden signaled a radical change in the so-called “War on Terror” – perhaps the most important change since it began on September 11, 2001. The news was welcomed by many at home and around the world.

“I think it [the death of bin Laden] is good,” said Adrinn Sanchez, interviewed in front of the White House on the day of the killing. Sanchez was living in Venezuela at the time of the attacks. “That’s the justice that we’re looking for – not only in America, but also in Latin America, where I’m from.”

Many of those who experienced the attacks at a young age are now in high school and college. After the news was released, it was college campuses that first erupted in celebration.

“I found out [about the attacks] when I was on the school bus,” said Brian Cleaver, who is majoring in international relations at American University. “I noticed that some of the teachers were acting funny; there were some whispers going around, and then finally my teacher told us what happened.”

Unlike the wild celebration at colleges around the country, families of the 9-11 victims were drawn to Ground Zero with a more somber mood.  Carie Lemack, who co-founded “Families of September 11th,” told USA Today and other news agencies that there was too much focus on bin Laden, and not enough attention paid to the victims.

“I just want to make sure we focus on the people he murdered,” she said. “I don’t want this day to be about him.”

There isn’t universal support for the killing, however, as a number of people met the news with indifference or criticism.

“[If] you kill Osama bin Laden, it’s just one person,” said Janie Donaldson, a D.C. resident. “He has a lot of support, and they’re not going to stop.” 

Despite such criticism, the importance of the death of Osama bin Laden seemed obvious to many who had long awaited the day.

“I think the fair conclusion is that he was brought to justice, and that’s exactly what happened,” Cleaver said. “Whether they wanted to take him out alive or dead, that was bin Laden’s choice, and somehow a firefight did erupt…and that led to him being killed. The choice was his.”