On Oct. 25, 2024, exactly one year after Lewiston was struck by a historic mass shooting, community members gathered in the Colisée to honor the memory of those killed and the resilience of the city since.
Tom Caron, local TV sports commentator and Lewiston native, served as master of ceremonies for the memorial event, sponsored by the City of Lewiston and the Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s only natural that we would feel a wide range of emotions as we come closer to the anniversary of this day; sadness, anger, anxiety,” Caron said to the gathered crowd. “In the past days, there have been more and more stories about what happened here a year ago, and with them come a flood of memories. We are here to share in those emotions, to help one another and to help us get through this date.”
Among the speakers was Liz Seal, wife of victim Joshua Seal, who gave her speech in American Sign Language (ASL). She was applauded by members of the Deaf community who sat near the front of the crowd, signing “I love you” in ASL and lifting electric candles.
Seal described the way others had rallied around her and her four children in the wake of tragedy. Four members of the local Deaf community were killed in the shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille – her husband Joshua, alongside Stephen Vozzella, William Brackett and Bryan MacFarlane.
“At the time of this tragedy, I only knew four of the victims because of our small, or so I thought, close-knit Deaf community,” Seal said. But she described how she discovered some of the victims or their family members went to school with her children and hosted local fundraising events.
“I wish it didn’t take a tragedy for me to discover these connections, but I’m glad to have met and gotten to know all of the families of the victims, the survivors, the first responders, and those who have supported us in many ways since then,” Seal said. “These connections have formed a spider web of a beautiful community that will forever be Lewiston Strong, and I am proud to be a part of it.”
The event featured constant ASL interpretation onstage, as well as subtitles broadcast to the entire audience. ASL interpreting volunteers were available for attendees.
On Oct. 25, 2023, a lone shooter killed 18 people and wounded 13 at local bowling alley Just-in-Time Recreation and restaurant Schemengees Bar & Grille. Lewiston and surrounding communities were on lockdown for over two days as law enforcement officials carried out a manhunt for the shooter. The youngest victim was just 14 years old.
In the wake of the shootings, Lewiston residents, as well as many Bates community members, rallied to assist victims’ families and survivors. The Harward Center hosted a community Teach-In as a space to brainstorm gun violence prevention.
“People are in different places with their processing. But I think a place that some people are in is, ‘What now and how do we keep this from happening again?’ and a lot of frustration and hopelessness,” Harward Center Associate Director of Community-Engaged Research and Learning Morgan Kinney said at the time.
The website onelewiston.org was published as a one-stop-shop for mental health, business and community assistance, spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce. Meanwhile, people from around the nation, from James Taylor to Joe Biden, visited as a means of support for Lewiston.
“As we mourn today in Maine, this tragedy opens painful wounds all across the country,” Biden said during his visit on Nov. 3, 2023. “Too many Americans have lost loved ones or survived the trauma of gun violence…the way this community has come together, the way this state has come together, has been a marvel to the rest of the country.”
At the anniversary memorial, speakers thanked outside supporters who had come together a year ago – and that assistance remained for the event. The Red Cross handed out blankets and teddy bears to attendees. Volunteers served as security and ushers, checking bags and distributing electric candles. The K-9 Response Program was onsite at the memorial and later elsewhere in the community, including Just-in-Time the next day, providing therapy dogs for comfort to the grieving.
Two separate moments of silence commemorated the exact moment of each shooting. Shanna Cox, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, followed by asking those who lost loved ones, witnessed the shooting, responded to the crisis and sheltered in place to stand. Cox explained that this vast network of those affected by the tragedy meant Lewiston would be recuperating together.
“We are all part of the journey toward healing, strength and resilience,” Cox said. “This journey is not easy, but we will walk it side by side. This is our shared story, and together, we will continue to move forward.”
With lifted candles and teary smiles, other Lewistonians shared that hope.
“This city was built on hope, people coming from around the world to build a better life in Lewiston-Auburn,” Caron said. “That spirit of hope, that resiliency, the love and support, has carried us through the past year, and it will continue to carry us in the days ahead, allowing us to move forward while never forgetting what has happened in the past.”
