The victims’ families say their lives have been devastated by the mass shooting in Lewiston

Attorney Travis Brennan places his hand on Cynthia Young’s shoulder Tuesday after Young addressed the media at the Franco Center in Lewiston. Young’s husband, Bill Young, and his son, Aaron Young, were killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

LEWISTON – Nearly a year after the deadliest shooting in Maine, which left 18 people dead and 13 others injured in Lewiston, two family members of the victims spoke out Tuesday and reflected on the personal impact of the tragic events the night of October 25, 2023, demanding justice for their loved ones and what can be done to prevent another mass shooting.

At a news conference announcing federal charges against the U.S. Department of Defense and a U.S. Army hospital in New York, dozens of survivors of the shooting gathered at the Franco Center on Cedar Street, where two spouses of victims spoke firsthand about the personal ones They reported on the impact of the shooting and their views on the efforts – or lack thereof – to prevent the tragedy.

“There is pain, trauma and regret that will never go away,” said Cynthia Young, whose husband William, 44, an auto mechanic, and son Aaron, 14, a Winthrop High School student, were killed just-in-time. Bowling alley where Aaron played in a youth bowling league.

“Last year. . . My life, like that of many others here today, has changed forever,” she said.

“As horrific as the shooting was, it is even more tragic that there were many opportunities to prevent it and yet they were not used,” Young said.

“My husband Bill and my son Aaron were taken away from me in an instant. I kissed and hugged them both and told them I loved them. I pulled my son back for a second hug, not knowing it would be the last time I ever saw her,” she said.

“It is so difficult for us to relive these moments. There is pain, trauma, and regret that will never go away, and I know most people here feel the same way.

“As horrific as the shooting was, it is even more tragic that there were many opportunities to prevent this and that they were not used,” she said. “There were several people in the agencies who saw the warning signs before October 25, and they did not take the proper actions to stop Robert Card or get him the help he needed.”

“There must be accountability for the failure to take action that led to the loss of the 18 souls and also for the loss of the sense of safety and security for the survivors of this tragic event,” she said.

“Going forward, I hope that we will initiate changes within these agencies that will prevent something like this from ever happening again and prevent anyone else from ever having to experience the depth of pain and grief that we have,” she said.

Elizabeth Seal spoke Tuesday through American Sign Language interpreter Grace Cooney about her husband Joshua Seal, 36, the father of their four young children.

According to his obituary, he was a certified deaf interpreter and helped with press conferences, particularly briefings on the pandemic.

Seal, who was killed at the Schememenes Bar & Grille, was director of interpretive services for the Pine Tree Society and worked for seven years as an educational technician for the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, where he served as a strong advocate for students and the hearing-impaired deaf community .

“No matter how busy he was, he always made time for his family. He valued us first and foremost and was so devoted,” she said.

“He always made time for his four children, individually and as a family. I am so grateful that my children have special memories of their father. However, he is no longer here and I have four children who missed their father very much,” she said.

Her eldest son, who is 13 years old, will soon graduate from middle school and move on to secondary school.

“He doesn’t have his dad there to chat about everything about navigating his teenage years or strategizing for those competitive sports events, how to stay committed to his sport and how to improve it,” she said.

Her 10-year-old daughter “was a daddy’s girl,” she said.

“He was wrapped around her little finger and would have done anything for her. “She’s going to graduate elementary school and move on to middle school without her father there to protect her, chat with her, answer all her curious questions and, you know, play with her in her creative mind,” Seal said.

Your 7-year-old son has just started a new school.

“Dad isn’t there to help him deal with his emotions, regulate his feelings, read with him, go outside and play, to get rid of some of his fabulous energy, to let off some of that steam. That’s not what he’s going to be here for,” she said.

Her youngest son is 4 years old.

“He will finish preschool and go to kindergarten. Dad isn’t here to watch his T-ball games, to see him ride the school bus for the first time, or to hear his stories, his mischievous stories. He won’t be here for any of this,” she said.

“I no longer have my husband, my life, my partner, the one with whom I mastered everything. I don’t have my partner here to support me. He was my anchor in the storm and he helped me balance my keel and we could talk about anything and work through anything,” she said.

“It is impossible to know whether this tragedy could have been prevented, but obviously several steps could have been taken to prevent this tragedy,” she said.

“If these steps had been taken, we might still have our 18 loved ones with us today. I don’t want this to happen to another family. We must hold the people who acted negligently accountable because they could be responsible for the loss of our 18 loved ones,” she said.

“For those of us who are victims and survivors, the emotional and physical trauma will stay with us forever,” she said.

“Once justice is served, perhaps we can begin the healing process, but in the meantime, we will remain strong in Lewiston,” she said.

A year-long state investigation into the mass shooting, recently concluded in a report by the Commission to Investigate the Facts of the Lewiston Tragedy, pointed to several missteps and poor judgments that, if handled differently, may have contributed to the mass shooting to avert shooting.

U.S. Army Reservist Robert Card II, 40, armed with a .308 Ruger SFAR4 rifle with a scope and laser, entered the bowling alley just before 7 p.m. on Oct. 25, where more than 60 customers and workers were present, including 20 children.

In 45 seconds, Card fired 18 shots, killing eight people and wounding three others. Other people suffered injuries as they tried to hide or escape the gunfire.

Card then drove the four miles to Schemengees Bar & Grille, left his car running outside the main entrance and entered the building at 7:07 p.m

In 78 seconds he fired 36 shots, killing ten more people and wounding ten more. As at the bowling alley, other people suffered injuries in the chaos.

The commission noted that the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office took no action to take Card into protective custody under the state’s so-called “yellow flag law” and filed a petition to seize all in firearms in his possession or over which he had control.

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office determined that the U.S. Army Reserve unit in which Card served did not share all relevant information it had about Card’s erratic behavior leading up to the shooting.

The commission also found that leaders of Card’s unit failed to take the necessary steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public.

Card’s commanding officers were aware that he was suffering from auditory hallucinations, exhibiting increasingly aggressive behavior, possessing a collection of weapons and making “threatening comments about his intentions,” according to the commission’s report.

Yet they “ignored the strong recommendations of Card’s psychiatric providers in the U.S. Army to continue to manage his care and support.”[e] Make sure steps are taken to remove the weapons from his home. They failed to provide the (Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office) with all information regarding Card’s threatening behavior and, in fact, disregarded some of the evidence regarding the threat posed by Card,” the report states.

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