Lewiston residents hope the Bidens' visit helps city heal after mass shooting
LEWISTON, Maine - President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited Geiger Elementary School in Lewiston, Maine Friday, where they met with victims' families and survivors of the Lewiston mass shooting.
The president and first lady expressed condolences and sympathy to those affected by the shooting that left 18 people dead and 13 injured last month. Leroy Walker, whose son Joey was killed in the shooting, said the president and first lady went table to table in the school and spoke with each family individually.
"I think he did a great job, and I think everyone in there appreciated that they were alone with him," Walker said. "It was really private."
Walker describes it as comforting. "I didn't think this meant anything, earlier today, I didn't really think it would really do anything to me, but I guess I was surprised," Walker said. "Every day I think I'm getting a little bit stronger."
Before going to the school, the Bidens spoke to first responders and elected officials at Just In Time Recreation, calling for lawmakers to do more.
"No pain is the same, but we know what it's like to lose a piece of our soul," President Biden said. "Too many Americans have lost loved ones or survived the trauma of gun violence."
The Bidens also laid flowers outside Schemengees Bar and Grille.
The visit was quick, but neighbors say it was impactful and comforting.
"I'm sure that they're probably saying that they're with them, with their sorrow and the passing of the people they were with," said neighbor Geoffrey McGuire. "That's one of the hardest things in life to go through, is when a relative or a significant other actually passes away."
The gunman was found dead two days after the shooting in a trailer at a recycling plant in Lisbon where he used to work. On Friday, the medical examiner ruled that the gunman died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound eight to 12 hours before he was found.