Lewiston shooting survivor recounts horrific night and vows to reclaim the date

LEWISTON (WGME) – More than a dozen people are alive today after being shot by a gunman on the night of October 25, 2023.

Ben Dyer was shot multiple times. He lost a lot of blood and doctors fought to save him in the following days.

It was a night of horror that still haunts many of the 140 survivors of the brutal attacks on Schemengees Bar and Grill and Just-In-Time Recreation.

“We just had a normal night at cornhole,” Dyer said.

Dyer was preparing for a game with his friends Ron Morin and Billy Brackett when gunfire occurred. Morin and Brackett were killed; but Dyer survived.

“I looked at his face when I lost my finger. He saw me raise my head and wanted to shoot myself in the head. And I put my hands up and ducked,” Dyer said. “I was lucky to survive.” I really shouldn’t have done that. For some unknown reason I’m still here.

“How many friends did you lose that night?” asked CBS13 reporter Brad Rogers.

“Everyone in the cornhole community was a friend of mine,” Dyer said.

Dyer was shot five times. One bullet tore off his index finger, two hit his arm and shoulder, and two hit his legs.

His now-fiancée, Keela Smith, was at work in Ellsworth when she learned what happened.

“When I left he was having surgery. And I didn’t know where I was going,” Smith said. “I didn’t know if Ben would be okay. I didn’t have any answers.”

A year later, he has come a long way. But he’s still waiting for a nerve graft in his arm to hopefully be connected to his hand so he can feel and use his fingers again.

“I may never have full use of my hand again,” Dyer said.

And he learned to use his arm again after his right bicep and triceps were destroyed.

“This is actually the lat muscle of my back. They pulled it off my back, folded it through my armpit and bandaged it just to fill the space,” Dyer said.

“Sometimes it’s heartbreaking to see him fight. And I learned, and I’m learning, to let him figure it out somehow. And when he needs me, he will ask. And he learned to ask too,” Smith said.

Smith says she and Ben are learning to live this new version of their life together.

“We were actually protecting our simple life. And that ruined everything. Of course, that changed everything for so many that night, but it did change. Nothing is easy anymore,” Smith said.

Dyer and Smith say they are upset that the Army and Army Reserve didn’t act after the shooter went into a psychiatric hospital and doctors told them he shouldn’t have guns.

“That night he was a villain. He tried to cause as much carnage as he could. And his mind just wasn’t working,” Dyer said. “The man was mentally unstable.” And they did nothing to help.

“He was a risk. And he was a danger to the public. And no one did anything to stop it. That makes me angry,” Smith said.

They are also passionate about improving the state’s mental health system.

“You have to find ways to make things better and get people the help they need,” Dyer said.

On Friday, Dyer and Smith honor their departed friends, but on this day, next year, they plan to get married. They say they want to reclaim October 25th for themselves and all victims.

“We are making progress. That’s part of us getting engaged and everything else. You know, we’ve been through hell. But we did it. And let’s move on,” Dyer said.