Lewiston, Maine honors victims and survivors a year after mass shooting
LEWISTON, Maine - A year after the deadliest shooting in Maine's history, members of the Lewiston community are still working to come to terms with what happened.
A memorial ceremony was held at The Colisée hockey arena in Lewiston Friday night. The victims' names were read one by one and candles were raised.
There were two moments of silence, each at the precise minute the gunman walked into the bowling alley and then the bar, with just 12 minutes in between.
Eighteen people were killed in the shootings on Oct. 25, 2023 . At the memorial, 18 empty chairs lined the front of the stage.
Elizabeth Seal, whose husband Joshua was killed in the shooting, told the crowd of more 1,000 mourners that the tragedy that rocked their city a year ago also created a community that has only grown stronger with time.
"And these connections, just like a spiderweb, are beautiful. I wish it didn't take a tragedy for me to discover these connections," Seal said through an American Sign Language interpreter, adding that the community would "forever be Lewiston strong."
Tribute outside shooting location
Army Reservist Robert Card opened fire at Schemengees Bar & Grille and the Just-In-Time bowling alley. He was found dead after a 48-hour manhunt.
Schemengees has now been turned into a warming center for the unhoused. "I have heard people talking about how they would go out of their way not to go by the building," said Zelda Smith of Lisbon Falls.
On Friday, there was a tribute outside the old bar, 18 sleeping bags and handmade quilts with the initials of each victim.
"There is going to be a positive vibe moving forward and this is kind of saying a goodbye but respecting the people that had been killed here," Smith said.
Members of the deaf community coming to pay their respects, for their friends playing cornhole at the bar that night. This day was one of reflection, but this town is determined to turn tragedy into opportunity as they move forward.
"It's almost like we are not letting him win," Smith said. "We are going to win. We are a community, and we are taking care of each other."
Justin Juray, owner of Just-In-Time where the shooting began, said the venue would close for the day Friday to let staff be with their families.
"We don't need work to add to their stress," he said. Juray and his wife, Samantha, reopened the bowling alley in May, six months after the shooting. Two staff members were among the eight people killed there.
"I think about it every day"
Leroy Walker's son Joseph was one of the people shot and killed that day. "It's just unbelievable to wake up every day and think that you're not going to see your son again. I think of it every day of the week," said Leroy Walker.
Ben Dyer was playing in the cornhole tournament when the shooter walked in.
"He saw me pick my head up and went to shoot me in the head and I put my hands up like this and ducked," Dyer said. "I was fortunate that I survived. I really shouldn't have for some unknown reason. I'm still here."
Some are questioning why they survived, others like Brenda Hathaway whose husband was killed, are left with wounds that haven't even begun to heal. "We talk to him all the time. I mean, I kiss his obituary every morning," Hathaway said.
In the year since, lawmakers have pushed for stronger gun control. Just a week ago, about 100 survivors and victims filed a new lawsuit against the Army to better track mental health for those working in munitions.
Leroy Walker believes his son would be alive today had the gunman gotten the help he needed.
"Why didn't they do a better job of taking care of this man?" Walker said "The man was you know sick in the mind because of the type of work they had him doing. It was affecting his brain. So it came down to them not taking care of a person that worked for them."
Lewiston Strong
At Rogue Life Maine, owner Mark Rodrigue says the pressing and folding of T-shirts has turned a project into a purpose.
"They were just bowling or playing cornhole and their lives shouldn't have been affected that way," Mark Rodrigue told WBZ-TV. "The next morning, I woke up and realized how many people I knew and that was like, I know people, they are going to need help."
His team started making "Lewiston Strong" gear. They have sold more than 12,000 shirts and donated more than $213,000 to victim's families so far.
"It brought people together for a bit. I think that symbol even though it is a tragedy, it is the resiliency of Lewiston and the people around here," Rodrigue said.