Grief, shock and a rising tension are ringing through the communities near Wednesday night’s mass shootings that left 18 dead and more than a dozen wounded by gunfire.
A massive manhunt for the suspected gunman ended late Friday after authorities found him dead.
While the search was still underway, some residents said they were scared, sad and even frustrated that yet another mass shooting has killed so many — and shattered their assumptions about a place they thought was insulated from such violence.
Early afternoon Friday, Jen Mason and her 12-year-old son were unloading groceries from their car on Main Street in Lisbon Falls. The street was deserted with most storefronts closed under shelter-in-place orders that were not lifted until late Friday afternoon. Just a mile away, police were searching the Sabattus and Androscoggin Rivers for clues to the alleged gunman’s whereabouts.
“A lot of sadness and just [being] unsure of where he is. I want to know. I want more than one update a day [about the manhunt],” said Mason, when asked about the mood of her community. “I don’t like being a prisoner in my home. It’s a nice day, and I want to go outside.”
Since local supermarkets were closed, she had to drive 27 miles to the Shaw’s in Falmouth. With school closed for a second day in a row, Mason also had to miss a shift at her job at McDonalds, adding financial concerns to her worries.
The Rev. Daniel Greenleaf, pastor at Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston, hopes to hold church services this weekend — with added security.
“We’re sort of in this holding pattern with a lot of grief that can't get expressed because we can't get together. We can't open up the doors. We can't have a vigil. We can't hug each other,” he said.
The pastor said he’s never been so overwhelmed, even at the height of COVID. But his hope is to try to make people feel comfortable and safe soon.
“We cannot let evil or destruction or this kind of violence change in a way that makes us less loving, less open, less caring,” Greenleaf added. “It'll hopefully make us a better people. I have to believe in that hope.”
“We’re grieving for our state.”Sherry Britton, a 67-year-old retired dog trainer
Reverberations have reached far beyond Lewiston’s city borders. Roseanne Arseneau was out in Freeport, Maine — about half an hour south. She lives several hours up the coast, in Machiasport.
The killings, she says, have left her heartbroken.
“One of the things that everyone brags about who lives in Maine — especially if you grew up in Maine — is: those sort of things don't happen in Maine. And yet here we are. It's happened,” she said. “There's problems in America, but we often say we don't have those problems here, and I guess we're wrong.”
Residents felt the pain in Brunswick, too.
“People are pretty disturbed over it. I think they’re just aching inside,” said Sherry Britton, a 67-year-old retired dog trainer who had just shopped at Morning Glory Natural Foods. “We’re grieving for our state.”
Britton added: “Maine has always had lenient gun laws. That may change, so maybe there’s a silver lining.”
The Congressman who represents Lewiston, Rep. Jared Golden, called for a federal ban on assault weapons Thursday — reversing course from last year, when he was one of a small group of Democrats to vote against the measure.
Two students at Bowdoin College, Mya Benally and Yaharay Colin, said the shootings had upended how their sense of safety in a picturesque Maine community.
“It was pretty devastating what happened,” said Colin, 19. “It did change how I feel about the area.”
“We were in disbelief,” said Benally, also 19. “The community is very close. It’s just [felt] so safe around here. I am looking at my surroundings now and reevaluating my safety.”
Harpswell resident Sophie Hill said she’s thinking more about mental health, after it was widely reported that the suspected gunman, Card, was hospitalized for his mental health in July after hearing voices.
“A lot of people are scared. I feel sad for everyone,” she said. “But there’s a larger problem here that people aren’t getting the help they need.”
All over the region, the festive Halloween decorating porches and front yards — normally a time of joy for kids — seem out of step with the horror that just unfolded here and the grief felt by family and friends of the victims.
