Law enforcement officers carry rifles near an emergency department entrance at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, on Thursday. This week’s mass shooting in Lewiston left 18 people dead.
Steven Senne/AP
Steven Senne/AP
This week’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, was the nation’s deadliest of the year. Eighteen people were killed in the attacks on a local bowling alley and bar, and 13 others were injured.
The suspect, Robert Card, 40, is still at large, after he allegedly opened fire at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar & Grille.
The Maine Medical Examiner’s office confirmed on Friday that it has identified all 18 victims, saying the youngest was 14 years old and the oldest was 76.
Law enforcement officers have yet to publicly identify the 18 people killed in Wednesday’s shooting, but that hasn’t stopped some families from publicly sharing the news they’ve been given — taking to social media to update their friends and neighbors of an unimaginable reality now settling in.
This story will continue to be updated as information becomes available, but here is what we know so far:
Michael Deslauriers Jr.
Michael Deslauriers Jr. was killed at the bowling alley while trying to rush the gunman, according to a Facebook post shared by his father, who goes by the same name. “I have the hardest news for a father to ever have to share,” he wrote in the post.
Jason Walker
Jason Walker, a close friend of Deslauriers Jr., was also killed at the bowling alley, according to the same Facebook post. “They made sure their wives and several young children were under cover then they charged the shooter,” Michael Deslauriers Sr. wrote in the post about Walker and his son.
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40, worked as a pipefitter at Bath Iron Works, a local machinists’ union shared in a statement. He loved cornhole, wrestling, comic book heroes and helping others, his colleagues said.
Tricia Asselin, 53
Tricia Asselin, 53, was an accomplished athlete, a volunteer, and on the day of her death, a hero, her mother, Alicia Lachance, told NPR.
Lachance, 75, said her two daughters, Tricia and Bobbi-Lynn Nichols, 57, went bowling at Just-In-Time Recreation, where Asselin worked.
Asselin and Nichols were talking near a center lane in the bowling alley when the shots first rang out, though due to the noise in the venue, the sisters didn’t realize they were shots until they rang out a second time. As Nichols began running toward the exit, she thought Asselin was behind her, but Asselin stopped to call for help and was shot.
Lachance, who lives in Florida, said she was watching Celebrity Wheel of Fortune when she saw the news break on the screen. She said she recognized the bowling alley immediately, as it is the only one in Lewiston and was started by a family friend.
“I know Tricia is there, and Bobbi, as they were going bowling. I call both their phones – nothing and no answer,” she said.
Nichols tried to go back into the bowling alley, but was denied.
In high school, Asselin played baseball and softball, and was offered a softball college scholarship, but turned it down because she was getting married.
She also was skilled in golf and fishing, which she did often with her son Brandon, 25.
In her free time, she went on cruises with her son and volunteered with several charitable organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She had raised $900 for the upcoming Susan G. Komen breast cancer walk in her area, Lachance said.
“She was just a great person,” Lachance said. “Anybody that knows Tricia is devastated today.”
In addition to her son and mother, Asselin is survived by two brothers, Mark Johnson, 54, and Jason Johnson, 51.
The family has not yet been able to see Asselin’s body.
“We just don’t know what to do,” Lachance said. “There’s nothing we can do. As soon as I find out when they’re going to release the body, I want to fly home and I want to hold my daughter in my arms and my heart. I’ll hold her in my heart forever, but I want her in my arms one more time.”
Bob Violette
Bob Violette, 76, was a dedicated volunteer coach for a youth bowling league. He was killed at Just-in-Time while trying to save those around him, his daughter-in-law told Maine Public on Thursday. Violette’s wife, Lucy, was still missing as of Thursday evening and her family fears she was also shot.
Bill Young and Aaron Young
Bill Young, 44, and his 14-year-old son, Aaron, were at Just-in-Time for the youth league night, a family member confirmed to the Associated Press. Bill was a “man dedicated to his family” who was “always trying to be a funny guy.” Aaron was an avid bowler, the AP reported.