"We have a lot to learn," Lewiston, Maine shooting victims' families meet President Biden
LEWISTON, Maine - One week after 18 people were killed in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, the community welcomed President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. They met with families and first responders on Friday afternoon.
"I deeply appreciate President Biden's unwavering support of us in the wake of last week's horrific tragedy. By visiting us in our time of need, the President and First Lady are making clear that the entire nation stands with Lewiston and with Maine - and for that I am profoundly grateful," Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said in a statement.
Mills greeted the Bidens when they landed around 2:30 p.m. and escorted them to a gathering with first responders and then to a closed-door meeting with the families of the victims.
Leroy Walker, an Auburn councilor whose son Joey was killed in the shooting, planned to be at the meeting. He told WBZ-TV he hopes to hear something different from the president about what's being done to prevent the next mass shooting.
"I don't think we're ever going to get all the answers (to) how this happened and how it slipped through," Walker said. "We should be working on more being prepared for the next one and making sure we're a lot better at all of it, right from before it started, to where it started, to where the end of it is. We missed so many things, with this young man, all the way to the shooting. I feel that they were real sloppy even after that. We have a lot to learn, all of us."
For the family of victim Bryan MacFarlane, Biden's visit is hugely symbolic. "They are going to want to hear action, but they are also going to want to hear support. Just hear the love from the country, they're going to want to hear that the country loves them," said Tony Randazzo, MacFarlane's stepbrother.
Thirteen people were also wounded in the shootings at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston on October 25. It was the deadliest shooting in Maine's history.
"Recovering from this attack will be long and difficult, and President Biden is committed to marshaling resources from across the federal government to support Lewiston every step of the way," Stefanie Feldman, the Director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, said in a statement.
Last week, the president ordered flags to fly at half-staff through Monday to honor the victims.