What to know about victims killed in Lewiston, Maine mass shooting: NPR

Law enforcement officers carry rifles near the entrance to the emergency department at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, on Thursday. This week’s mass shooting in Lewiston left 18 people dead.

Steven Senne/AP

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Steven Senne/AP

Law enforcement officers carry rifles near the entrance to the emergency department at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine, on Thursday. This week’s mass shooting in Lewiston left 18 people dead.

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, remains on the run after allegedly opening fire at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar & Grille.

The Maine medical examiner’s office confirmed Friday that it had identified the 18 victims, specifying that the youngest was 14 years old and the oldest 76 years old.

Law enforcement has 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 were given – using social media to spread the word their friends and neighbors of a reality unimaginable at present. settle.

This story will continue to be updated as information becomes available, but here’s what we know so far:

Michael Deslauriers Jr.

Michael Deslauriers Jr. was killed at the bowling alley as he tried to rush the shooter, according to a Facebook post shared by his father, who goes by the same name. “I have the hardest news a father will ever have to share,” he wrote in his message.

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 safe, then they charged the shooter,” Michael Deslauriers Sr. wrote in his 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, colleagues said.

Tricia Asselin, 53 years old

Tricia Asselin, 53, was an accomplished athlete, volunteer and, on the day she died, a hero, her mother, Alicia Lachance, told NPR.

Lachance, 75, said his 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, but because of the noise in the hall, the sisters did not realize it was gunshots until they ring 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 appear on the screen. She said she immediately recognized the bowling alley because it’s the only one in Lewiston and it was opened by a family friend.

“I know Tricia is there, and Bobbi, while they were going bowling. I call both of their phones – nothing and no answer,” she said.

Nichols attempted to return to the bowling alley, but was refused.

In high school, Asselin played baseball and softball and was offered a college softball scholarship, but she turned it down because she was getting married.

She was also good at golfing and fishing, which she often enjoyed with her son Brandon, 25.

In her free time, she would go on cruises with her son and volunteer with several charitable organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She raised $900 for the upcoming Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk in her area, Lachance said.

“He was just a great person,” Lachance said. “Everyone who knows Tricia is devastated today.”

In addition to his son and his 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 know when they’re going to release the body, I want to go home and I want to hold my daughter in my arms and in my heart. I will hold her in my heart forever, but I want in my arms once again.”

Bob Violette

Bob Violette, 76, was a dedicated volunteer coach for a youth bowling league. He was killed just in time as he tried to save those around him, his daughter-in-law told Maine Public on Thursday. Violette’s wife, Lucy, was still missing Thursday evening and her family fears she may have also been shot.

Bill Young and Aaron Young

Bill Young, 44, and his 14-year-old son, Aaron, were just in time for the youth league night, a family member confirmed to the Associated Press. Bill was a “devoted family man” who “always tried to be a funny guy.” Aaron was an avid bowler, the AP reported.