Lifelong friends died in gunman’s attack – NBC Boston

Vicki Roy and Jill Walker, the older sisters of two men credited with saving lives during the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting at a Lewiston bowling alley, are telling their story a year later, even if their brothers would shy away from the attention .

“They were both very generous and caring people, but they never wanted to be recognized for it,” Walker said. “So that’s kind of the irony of all this.”

Jason Walker and Michael “Mike” Deslauriers II have been best friends since kindergarten. According to her sisters, it was a connection that would transcend distance and time. Jason moved away for extended periods to join the military and train in the West, while Deslauriers never left his hometown of Sabattus, Maine. But their friendship continued into adulthood – even their children became friends – and lasted until their final moments.

“For as long as I can remember, there’s been Mike and Jason,” said Roy, Deslauriers’ big sister.

As adults, they joined a Sunday night bowling league with the team name “Here for the Beer.”

“If you knew them both, that would be a fitting name,” Roy added with a laugh.

Jason, his wife Kathy, Deslauriers and his girlfriend Stacy were bowling at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston, in the lane closest to the door, on the night of the mass shooting. In fact, Walker said they were put on this trail at the last minute to trade places with a group of kids.

Family photo

The shooter came in just as the pairs were about to begin their third game. According to Walker, Jason quickly yelled, “Get down.” After firing the first shot, the Gumna’s gun jammed. Then the two men attacked from different angles – Jason on one side and Deslauriers from behind.

“What I’ve learned since then was that Jason tried to knock the gun out of Robert Card’s hand,” Walker said. “They were both actually able to get their hands on him.”

“Mike’s fingerprints were on the gun,” Roy added.

Deslauriers and Jason were shot multiple times at close range, the sisters said. Their act of bravery saved lives that night, says the final report of the Independent Commission to Inquire into the Facts of the Lewiston Tragedy. The shooter was in the bowling alley for a total of 45 seconds and, according to Roy, he spent 12 of those seconds with Deslauriers and Jason.

“It was long enough for people to leave the bowling alley,” Roy said. “I think it was instinctive, you know? I think it was just the way they were.”

Just-In-Time Recreation was one of two stops for the gunman who caused the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history. Deslauriers and Jason’s families didn’t know where they were – or whether they survived – until the next day.

On October 25, 2023, a lone gunman opened fire at Just-In-Time Recreation before moving on to Schemengees Bar and Grill, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others. The bowling alley reopened six months ago, but Schemengees will soon serve a new purpose. Follow NBC10 Boston:

“We called every hospital in New England that night…the next morning we called the Lewiston police. We called the Androscoggin County Sheriff. We called the state police. “We called everyone we could to get information on him,” Roy said, “but there was nothing. Nobody could tell us anything.”

“It was a nightmare for me not knowing where he was,” Roy said. “I remember – until I saw the police car pull up his driveway – I remember having just a little glimmer of hope that maybe he had made it.”

The sudden loss of the sisters quickly became public. Roy recalled feeling a little “disrespectful” in the first few days as officials provided information about the investigation while the victims’ families watched from home and left their questions unanswered. Walker recalled an Oct. 27, 2023, announcement from Gov. Janet Mills that the shooter had been found dead.

“Like many people, I breathe a sigh of relief tonight knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone,” Mills said two days after the mass shooting.

“That was really hard for me,” Walker said. “I was very angry because at that point I still didn’t know where my brother’s body was… I was so angry about that because… because nothing was going to bring my brother back.”

Walker and Roy were immersed in the investigations, commission hearings and documentation released in the months that followed. It became an active distraction that delayed the grieving process, Walker said, as she tried to “make sense of something so meaningless.” Roy said she was shocked to see her brothers’ names among the 18 people who lost their lives that night.

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“We are protective big sisters and it just felt like we lost her to something else,” Roy said. “It was probably six months before I realized I had lost Mike. That he… he was gone.”

Now they’re telling their story, even if Deslauriers and Jason don’t want the attention, as the commission’s final report noted several missed opportunities to intervene.

“It becomes more meaningful because both of them had the courage and bravery to finally confront Robert Card when no one else would,” Roy said. “And they were unarmed. You know, two middle-aged men in bowling shoes finally stood up to him and did the right thing.”