Lewiston, Maine, honors victims and survivors one year after mass shooting

LEWISTON, Maine – One year after deadliest shooting In Maine’s story, members of the Lewiston community are still working to process what happened.

A memorial ceremony was held Friday evening at the Colisée ice hockey arena in Lewiston. The victims’ names were read out one by one and candles were lit.

There were two moments of silence, each at the exact moment the shooter entered the bowling alley and then the bar, with only 12 minutes in between.

Eighteen people were killed in the shootings on Oct. 25, 2023. At the memorial, there were 18 empty chairs at the front of the stage.

Elizabeth Seal, whose husband Joshua died in the shooting, told the crowd of more than 1,000 mourners that the tragedy that rocked her city a year ago also created a community that has only grown stronger with time.

“And these connections, just like a spider web, are beautiful. “I wish it didn’t take a tragedy to discover these connections,” Seal said through an American Sign Language interpreter, adding that the community “would forever be Lewiston strong.”

Tribute in front of the filming location

Army reservist Robert Card opened fire at Schememenge’s Bar & Grille and the Just-In-Time bowling alley. He was found dead after a 48-hour manhunt.

Schemengees has since been converted into a warming center for homeless people. “I’ve heard people talk about how they would go out of their way not to walk past the building,” said Zelda Smith of Lisbon Falls.

On Friday, there was a tribute in front of the old bar with 18 sleeping bags and handmade quilts with each victim’s initials.

“Going forward, there will be a positive vibe, and that is a kind of farewell, but also respect for the people who were killed here,” Smith said.

Members of the deaf community come to pay their respects to their friends who were playing cornhole at the bar that evening. This day was a day of reflection, but this city is determined to turn tragedy into opportunity as we move forward.

“It’s almost like we’re not going to let him win,” Smith said. “We will win. We are a community and we care about each other.”

Justin Juray, owner of Just-In-Time, where the shooting began, said the venue would close for a day on Friday so employees could be with their families.

“We don’t need work that adds to their stress,” he said. Juray and his wife, Samantha, reopened the bowling alley in May, six months after the shooting. Two employees were among the eight people killed there.

“I think about it every day”

Leroy Walker’s son Joseph was one of the people shot that day. “It’s just unbelievable to wake up every day and think that you won’t see your son again. I think about it every day of the week,” Leroy Walker said.

Ben Dyer was playing in the cornhole tournament when the shooter walked in.

“He saw me raise my head and was about to shoot myself in the head and I put my hands up and ducked,” Dyer said. “I was lucky to survive. For some unknown reason, I really shouldn’t have done it. I’m still here.”

Some wonder why they survived, others like Brenda Hathaway, whose husband was killed, have wounds that have not even begun to heal. “We talk to him all the time. I mean, I kiss his obituary every morning,” Hathaway said.

The following year, lawmakers pushed for stricter gun control. Just a week ago there were around 100 survivors and victims filed a new lawsuit against the army to better track the mental health of those working in the munitions industry.

Leroy Walker believes his son would still be alive today if the shooter had gotten the help he needed.

“Why didn’t they take better care of this man?” Walker said: “The man was mentally ill because of the type of work they gave him. It affected his brain. So it came down to them not caring about a person who worked for them.”

Lewiston Strong

Owner Mark Rodrigue of Rogue Life Maine says pressing and folding T-shirts turned a project into a purpose.

“They were just bowling or playing cornhole and their lives shouldn’t have been affected by that,” Mark Rodrigue told WBZ-TV. “The next morning I woke up and realized how many people I knew, and it was like, I know people, they’re going to need help.”

His team began manufacturing “Lewiston Strong” gear. They have sold more than 12,000 T-shirts so far and donated more than $213,000 to the victims’ families.

“It brought people together for a while. I think this symbol, even though it is a tragedy, shows the resilience of Lewiston and the people here,” Rodrigue said.