They were stalwarts in the Deaf community, a high school student who wanted to grow up to be like his dad, childhood friends bowling with their families, a husband and wife, an expecting father.
Eighteen people were killed in the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, and 13 others were injured on Wednesday, Oct 25. Several victims at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley and at Schemengees Bar & Grille were killed trying to take down the shooter and protect the children playing in the local youth bowling league that night.
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The youngest victim was a 14-year-old boy, and the oldest was a 76-year-old grandfather who was at the bowling alley as a volunteer bowling team coach.
The gunman, Robert Card, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot on Friday night, finally lifting the shelter-in-place order and allowing residents to gather and mourn their loved ones.
Here’s what we know about the victims.
Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34
Thomas Ryan Conrad was killed trying to take the shooter down. A manager at the bowling alley, Conrad had moved to Maine to be closer to his daughter Caroline. His friend Adam Stoddard told the Lewiston Sun Journal that Conrad served in the Army, doing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The [bowling community kids] all loved him,” Stoddard said. “He loved them so much he put his life in harm’s way to charge the gunman and save the children who were there. He died a hero.”
Michael Deslauriers Jr., 51
Michael Deslauriers Sr. posted on Facebook that his son was killed while attempting to stop the shooter. “They made sure their wives and several young children were under cover then they charged the shooter,” he wrote.
His sister Vicki Deslauriers Roy wrote in a Facebook tribute that Deslauriers Jr. was “incredibly selfless.”
“I was not the least bit surprised to hear that he and his best friend since kindergarten lost their lives trying to protect others,” Deslauriers Roy wrote. “I take comfort in knowing that they went together.”
Jason “Jay” Walker, 51
Jason Walker, a close friend of Deslauriers Jr., was also killed at the bowling alley while trying to stop the shooter, according to Deslauriers Sr.
His Facebook page shows him cheering on a friend while bowling, playing guitar, and singing. Under a photo of himself fishing with Deslauriers Jr, he posted, “you only get so many days like this.”
According to the Sabattus Historical Society, Walker “freely volunteered his time and expertise to our society to capture the history of our town” and helped the society record the personal stories of senior citizens in the community.
William “Bill” Young, 44 and Aaron Young, 14
Bill Young had taken his son Aaron to Just-in-Time for the youth league night, his cousin Kim McConville told AP. She described him as a “man dedicated to his family” who was “always trying to be a funny guy.”
Bill’s brother Rob Young told the Los Angeles Times that Aaron was a high-scoring bowler who wanted to grow up to be just like his dad.
“They were both the apple of each other’s eyes,” Young said. He created a GoFundMe to help Bill’s surviving wife and daughters.
Tricia Asselin, 53
Tricia Asselin was trying to call 911 for help when she was shot and killed, according to her sister, who was also at the bowling alley and managed to escape.
Her mother Alicia Lachance told NPR that in her free time, Asselin went on cruises with her son Brandon 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.
Robert “Bob” Violette, 76 and Lucille “Lucy” Violette, 73
Bob Violette was a dedicated volunteer coach for a youth bowling league, his family members say. Witnesses said Violette stood between the shooter and the children in his bowling league to keep them safe, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Violette’s wife, Lucille, was also shot at the bowling alley. Their former daughter-in-law Jessica Dubois told Connecticut Public that the couple bowled every week, like clockwork.
Dubois said the Violettes were kind and gentle people and devoted grandparents to her two kids, ages 13 and 15.
Joseph “Joe” Walker, 57
Joe Walker was passionate about his job managing Schemengees Bar & Grill, his father said. “He loves it,” Leroy Walker Sr. told the Sun Journal. “He’s into sports and knew he could make the place lively and bring in a lot of business. My son had something going all the time.”
A police officer told the family that Walker died a hero, trying to take the shooter out with a butcher’s knife that was found next to his hand when first responders arrived.
“If he was sitting here with me, he would just be so sorry about what has happened,” Walker Sr. said. “A lot of his friends were killed in the same scene. Others were shot up… It’s just a real tough thing. I know he would be just so sorry something like this happened.”
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 39
Peyton Brewer-Ross worked as a pipefitter at Bath Iron Works and is survived by his partner Rachael and a young daughter, his machinists’ union shared in a statement.
According to his coworkers, he loved comic book heroes, cornhole, and wrestling, and could often be heard quoting one of his favorite wrestlers, Macho Man Randy Savage.
He “loved being a dad more than anything else,” his brother Ralph Wellman Brewer told CNN. He set up a GoFundMe to support Brewer-Ross’s two-year-old daughter Elle.
Joshua Seal, 36
Joshua Seal was among several members of the Deaf and hard of hearing community in Lewiston who regularly went to Schemengees Bar & Grille to play cornhole, according to NPR. On Wednesday, Seal was participating in a cornhole tournament for the Deaf, along with Steve Vozzella, Bryan MacFarlane, and Billy Brackett, who were also killed.
According to NPR, the killing of Seal, Vozzella, MacFarlane, and Brackett appears to be the deadliest mass shooting of Deaf people in U.S. history.
Seal, an American Sign Language interpreter, worked with the CDC to communicate the latest updates on the virus and vaccines to the Deaf and hard of hearing community. According to NPR, his high-energy translations of pandemic jargon helped make him a star among the community.
He also coordinated summer camps for Deaf and hard of hearing kids to keep them engaged. In an interview with Deaf news site Daily Moth, his wife Elizabeth “Liz” Seal said she hopes to honor his memory by helping the camp continue to flourish. “He was active in making sure children had a good future. He helped to establish a Deaf camp for children in Maine. […] I want to make sure that his dream will live on, for all the young children who are growing up.”
Stephen “Steve” Vozzella, 45
Stephen “Steve” Vozzella was hoping to add another victory to his list of cornhole achievements that night. The sport was a big part of his life and he was an active member of New England Deaf Cornhole. “NEDC will not be the same without Steve Vozzella playing with us!” the group wrote on Facebook.
His wife Megan Vozzella told the Daily Moth that they were preparing to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary next month. They had been together for 14 years. “Now I’ve lost my soulmate, my husband. It really hurts.”
She said she’s mourning the loss of so many members of the local Deaf community. “I don’t know how much we can take. Husbands, wives, families. I grew up with them throughout my childhood.”
William Brackett, 48
William Brackett was a natural-born athlete who always got picked first in gym class, his childhood best friend Owen Horr wrote in a tribute. Brackett was killed while playing in the Deaf cornhole tournament with Bryan MacFarlane, Steve Vozzella, and Joshua Seal.
Brackett also met his wife through mutual friends in the Deaf community, and they celebrated their third wedding anniversary in August. Their daughter Sandra is two.
Horr wrote that Brackett loved sports growing up, and was a huge Texas Longhorns fan: “Billy had a significant impact on my life, and I will miss him dearly. He was my great childhood friend. And I will never forget our moments, Billy Brackett!! Texas Longhorns will win for you!”
Bryan MacFarlane, 40
MacFarlane was playing in the cornhole tournament with Billy Brackett, Steve Vozzella, and Joshua Seal. The four men knew each other from the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf.
MacFarlane loved riding his motorcycle, camping, fishing, and hanging out with Deaf friends and his dog, M&M (named after his favorite candy), who regularly joined him on his travels as a commercial trucker, his sister Keri Brooks told the Sun Journal.
According to Brooks, MacFarlane was extremely proud to have obtained a Class D trucking license and “was the first Deaf person to do so in Vermont, one of the very few Deaf people nationwide to obtain such a license.”
Arthur “Artie” Strout, 42
Arthur “Artie” Strout was at Schemengees Bar and Grille to play pool with his father, who had left shortly before the shooting started. Strout’s father told CBS news that Arthur was supposed to leave with him but decided to stay.
Strout’s wife Kristy described him as a Christmas person, who sometimes would start decorating the house as early as Halloween.
“If it wasn’t perfect, he’d go back to make sure it was perfect and looked like one of those pictures out of a magazine,” Kristy told the Lewiston Sun Journal.
Maxx Hathaway, 35
Maxx Hathaway was at the bar to play pool with his pregnant wife Brenda, who left before the shooting began. Hathaway was a stay-at-home father who cared for their youngest daughter Lillian. The couple’s third daughter is due in a little over a month.
In a GoFundMe started to support Brenda and their children, his sister Kelsay wrote that “growing up he would always play dolls with my younger sister Courtney, and always loved to get into trouble.”
Ronald “Ron” Morin, 55
Ron Morin was a dedicated husband and father of two, who was well-known for having jokes at the ready, several family members said on social media.
His younger sister Tanya Morissette set up a GoFundMe to support Ron’s wife Lynn Morin and their children. “He was a man who always put others before himself and looked for the humor and positivity in even the most tragic circumstances,” Morissette wrote.
Keith Macneir, 64
Keith Macneir traveled to Maine from his home in Florida to celebrate his birthday with his son Breslin. “He was a good guy. He just wanted everybody to have as much fun as he was having,” Breslin told NBC.
His niece Grace Chilton started a GoFundMe to support Breslin, Macneir’s only child. “Keith was the friendliest & kindest guy in any room—his loss will leave a huge hole in the lives of many, many people,” Chilton wrote.
