![]() Corriveau said he knew Tricia Asselin, who was killed as she ran to get her phone and call 911. Dan Corriveau parked his motorcycle and bent over on the grass in prayer. Bouquets of purple and pink chrysanthemums and blue crosses decorated the grounds.Ĭars slowed to a stop as people got out to pay their respects. At the edge of the grass was a line of pumpkins, some painted black, carved with reminders of Lewiston’s resilience. From one of the first pews, Tim Conrad held a long salute when the priest recited the name of his son, Thomas Conrad, a 34-year-old Army veteran who managed the bowling alley and who friends said died while trying to take down the gunman.īut now, the building was dark. Parishioners’ voices filled the belly of the church with prayers and songs, led by the soaring voice of a singing pianist. ![]() That afternoon, he led a prayer service where framed photos of the 18 victims stood on the steps leading up to the altar at Holy Family Church along with candles and white roses. Walker, who is deeply religious, has said he doesn’t have hate in his heart for the shooter.Īt one Sunday morning Mass, Father Elaiyaraja Thaniyel, known as Father Raja, focused his homily on eternal love. Mainers have prayed for the family at vigils, dropped off flowers and expressed their sadness for a troubled man and lost soul in desperate need of help. In its mourning, the community has also made uncommon space for the gunman’s family, who raised concerns to the local sheriff about his mental health months before the massacre. They expressed disbelief and anger that something so vile, so ugly could happen in Lewiston. ![]() They talked in grocery store aisles about how beloved the bowling alley and restaurant were, how that could have been them caught in the gunfire. They placed flowers and notes where the shootings occurred. ![]() They lighted candles for the victims and survivors, including 13 injured, and shielded the flames from the autumn winds. Like those in so many American towns before them, residents embraced and wept with one another at vigils. “After being cooped up and dealing with the events separately, we can deal with the aftermath together,” said Alanna Larrivee, 28, who attended a Saturday night vigil in Lisbon, near the area where the shooter was found dead late Friday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, ending a harrowing manhunt. Maine’s authorities are trying to piece together the events that led to the worst mass shooting in the state’s history. World & Nation Maine mass shooter’s family reached out to sheriff 5 months before rampage, sheriff’s office says Yet across the river in Auburn’s sister city of Lewiston, workers in hazmat suits and high-grade masks were scrubbing concrete steps at the far end of Schemengees Bar & Grille, where dozens of cars were still parked in the lot, some with evidence tape covering their windows. “Good luck - you’ll fill that bucket,” Walker, an Auburn City Council member, said to a young boy dressed as a dinosaur.įrom afar, Sunday looked and sounded like any other bone-chilling Halloween in Maine: “Ghostbusters” played over speakers while children dressed as Pokemon, Buzz Lightyear, scarecrows, Dalmatians and more loaded their pumpkin buckets and candy bags full of sugar. He greeted family after family, exchanging hugs with some parents, as children set off into the candyland awaiting them at Auburn’s annual trick-or-treating event. stood in a neon yellow jacket at the base of a bell tower, his hair thinning at the top of his head. In a small park along the mighty Androscoggin River, Leroy Walker Sr.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |