by A 14-year-old boy who had gone bowling with his father has now been identified as among the victims of the mass shooting in Lewiston.
Aaron Young, 14, was with his father Bill Young at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley for an evening with their bowling league on Wednesday night, Bill's brother Rob Young told Reuters.
Shortly before 7pm, a gunman entered the popular, family-friendly shop and opened fire on the innocent victims inside.
Seven people, including one woman and six men, died in the attack at the bowling alley, before the gunman moved on to his second target – the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant.
Seven men were killed inside and one man was killed outside the restaurant, while three other victims died of their injuries in hospital.
Aaron, 14, was bowling with his father and their league
(NBC Boston)
For hours, Aaron and Bill's family did not know what had happened to their loved ones.
Robb told Reuters he learned his brother and nephew were missing in the wake of the shooting, so he hopped all the way from Baltimore to Lewiston to try to help his sister-in-law find them.
Bill's cousin, Kim McConville, told NBC News that the family tracked his cell phone and found it at the bowling alley where the first shooting took place.
“It's total chaos,” she told the network before learning of their deaths.
“People are not getting any of the information they need. You know, it's there. They don't get anything new. They don't tell them anything more than coming out of a press conference.”
The investigation came to a tragic end Thursday afternoon when the family learned that both father and son were killed in the attack.
Bill and Aaron Young in an undated photo
(NBC Boston)
Ms McConville said they were just “innocent people” enjoying a night out bowling together.
“Just innocent people out for a night of bowling,” he said. “This was a children's event. You know, who expects a shooter to go to a children's event? But you know, it's a crazy world we live in today.”
A father and son are among 18 people killed in the mass shooting that shook the city of Lewiston to its core Wednesday. Another 13 were injured, their condition unknown, while a manhunt is underway for “armed and dangerous” suspect Robert Card.
Here are the other victims identified so far:
Joseph Walker
The father of a Lewiston bar manager has identified his son as one of the 18 victims who died in Wednesday's shooting in Maine.
Leroy Walker, a city councilman in Auburn, Maine, told NBC News that state police confirmed his son Joseph Walker was killed when a gunman opened fire at two locations in Lewiston, including the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, where he was the bar. director.
Many people in the community have been anxiously waiting to hear whether or not their loved ones have been identified as victims in the shooting.
It took more than 14 hours for Mr Walker to be notified of his son and he said his family was “suffering and dying in a nightmare we don't understand”.
“None of us slept, we were up all night,” he said. “We didn't know where to go, who to run to. They didn't notify any of us.”
Joseph Walker's wife Tracy posted a plea on Facebook for answers about her husband after he was not heard from after the shooting.
“Please pray I have heard nothing of my husband Joseph Walker being at Schemengee's,” she wrote.
Earlier Thursday, the bar manager's devastated father told NBC he knew his son was dead.
“If you had my guts right now, I feel like I've been squeezed in a vise,” Mr Walker said at the time. “My neck at the back of my head feels like there's a vise squeezing it from the other side.”
“And I don't know, I tell you the truth, what kind of night it's going to be between now and tomorrow when I wake up to the true facts that my son is dead — and I know he's dead. I know that just as well as I know that I'm standing here telling you why he's not here and he's not in any other hospital and he's not running around the streets or he'd be calling us, because he's managing the Schemengees, so I know he's been there.”
Bob Violette
A 76-year-old retired Sears engineer who was an avid bowler was also identified by Cassandra's daughter-in-law as one of the victims, she told Portland Press Herald.
Bob Violette, who was a Lewiston native who ran a youth bowling league, was reportedly killed trying to protect the children he was responsible for Wednesday night.
Both he and his wife Lucy were avid bowlers, with Mr. Violette starting the youth bowling league at Sparetime Recreation, for which he was recently inducted into the Maine Bowling Hall of Fame.
“He wouldn't let you out the door without giving him a hug and a kiss on the check. He was there for everything,” Cassandra said.
He said he had a special bond with his grandchildren and was a loving husband to his wife Lucy, who was injured in the shooting. However, her condition is unknown.
“His first thought every day was that,” Cassandra added.
Mr. Card is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve and a certified firearms instructor who officials said had recently threatened to shoot up a National Guard installation and had reported mental health problems, including hearing voices.
His current whereabouts are unknown, although his car – a white 2013 Subaru – was spotted on a bridge in the city of Lisbon.
Residents in both Lewiston and Lisbon have been urged to evacuate.
Brian McFarlane
Mr MacFarlane's death was confirmed by his sister. Mr McFarlane was one of the participants in a deaf cornhole tournament being held at the Schemengees bar when the second shooting incident occurred.
His sister told CNN that Mr. McFarlane usually went to the bar on Wednesdays for weekly sessions and to hang out with his friends.
He was one of the first people in the state of Maine to get his commercial truck license. He worked as a truck driver, enjoyed riding his motorcycle and playing with his dog, his sister said.
McFarlane's stepmother, Catherine Dunn, also told CNN that she was also worried about his dog.
“He takes his dog everywhere,” she said. “I don't know if his dog is in his truck at the Schemengees bar, yet. Or if he's at home or if he's still alive.”
Tricia Asselin
According to CNN, Ms. Asselin, 53, worked part-time at Just-In-Time Recreation and was there bowling Wednesday night when the gunman walked in and opened fire.
Her brother DJ Johnson said at the exit, “What they're telling me is that when everything started happening, she ran to the counter and started calling 911, and that's when she got shot.
“It was just her. He wasn't going to run (far). He would try to help.”
Johnson said his sister was “the rock” of his family. He added that his other sister was also at the bowling alley but managed to escape.
said Ms. Asselin's sister, Bobbi Lynn-Nichols People magazine “We were just running and I kept saying, ‘I want my sister out of there.' And he called 911 and pulled into his driveway trying to get help. He is a hero. My sister is a hero.”
Tommy Conrad
CNN also reported that 34-year-old Conrad, who worked as a bowling alley manager, was killed in the attack. Mr. Conrad leaves behind a nine-year-old daughter.
Peyton Brewer Ross
The Maine AFL-CIO — a state federation of more than 160 local labor unions — announced that one of its members, Peyton Brewer Ross, was among the dead.
Mr. Ross was a new father and “loved by his community,” the federation wrote to X, sharing a photo of Mr. Ross smiling and holding a small child. Mr. Ross was a member of the Machinists Local S6 union.
