LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Church bells tolled Sunday as Maine residents gathered in a somber and sometimes joyous ceremony to pray and support one another following a traumatic week in which a fellow Maine gunned down 18 people in the worst mass shooting in history. state.
The Rev. Daniel Greenleaf began the service at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston with a moment of silence. Later, he told the congregation it was good to finally be able to pray together after days of curfews while police searched for 40-year-old gunman Robert Card.
Card’s body was found Friday in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls. Card died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but it was unclear when, authorities said. Card is suspected of also injuring 13 people during a shooting Wednesday night in Lewiston.
Several women wore black veils in the cave sanctuary, where a church official said they were raising funds to help victims of the shooting and others injured by “a terrible event in our small town.”
18 people were shot and killed when Robert Card opened fire at a Maine bowling alley.AP
“We can see a ray of light in the darkness,” Greenleaf said during his sermon. He told the worshipers that at times like this they had “practiced” their faith.
“We can’t fix this, but then again humans are not machines that need to be fixed,” Greenleaf said.
At Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, the atmosphere was cheerful as church members arrived and greeted each other. But the mood turned somber when Pastor Brian Ganong referred to the tragedy. He prayed for victims fighting for their lives, those who lost family and friends, first responders and medical workers, and others — including the Card family, who he said had relationships with several church members.
Robert Card’s body was found later with self-inflicted wounds.AP
“It did happen. We may not know why,” he said while encouraging the congregation to find solace through a higher being.
After the service, Ganong said it “takes one person” to destroy the community’s “sense of peace and security”.
“They feel violated, right? They feel invaded. This has affected their safety,” he said. “But I understand that we live in an evil world. And it may only be a matter of time before it hits us.”
The Reverend Daniel Greenleaf led a moment of silence at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine.AP In addition to prayers, the community also raised funds for the victims’ families.AP
Standing outside the basilica after attending an early Mass, Marcel Roy said the past few days had been painful but he hoped the community would go through a long healing process.
“This feels good,” Roy said as the church bells rang.
The 70-year-old Lewiston resident said he knew four of the shooting victims and prayed for them and the shooter.
Family members of Robert Card shared that he had started hearing voices before the shooting.AP
“I can’t hate that guy,” he said of the gunman. “He wasn’t raised to be a killer.”
Authorities found numerous weapons during the search for Card and believe he had purchased them legally, including those found in his car and near his body, said Jim Ferguson, special agent in charge of the Boston Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He declined to provide specific details about the weapons, including their make and model, and would not say exactly how many were found.
Investigators are still looking for a motive for the massacre, but are increasingly focused on Card’s mental health history. State Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said Card had heard voices and experienced paranoia.
Card believes “people are talking about him and there may be some voices at play,” Sauschuck said.
Family members of Card told federal investigators that he recently discussed hearing voices and became more focused on bowling alleys and bars, according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the investigation.
On Saturday, street life began to return to Lewiston in the city of 37,000. Police missed two clear opportunities to end the lockdown early, after failing to find Card’s body in a search of the recycling center Thursday night and early Friday.
For many residents it is a day of reflection, mourning and, for some, taking the first tentative steps towards normalcy. Some went hunting on the opening day of gun season for deer, and one family handed out buckets of flowers downtown. Others gathered at a makeshift memorial to the victims across the street from the bar targeted by Card.
Community members came together to create a memorial to honor the victims.AP
William Brackett, whose son was among those killed, visited the memorial Saturday and said he could feel the pent-up tension leave his body when he learned Card was dead.
“I’m telling you, if I had a bottle of champagne, I’d drink it and celebrate,” he said.
Billy Brackett was shot multiple times and died on the way to the hospital, his father said. He said his son did not let his deafness stop him from doing anything in life, including playing various sports.
“He’s just a gentle person. He’s big and tough, and I think that’s probably why all the little kids love him. They crowd bigger people,” Brackett said. “Maybe they thought, ‘He will be our protector.'”
After news of Robert Card’s death, a small Maine community hopes they can take the first step toward normalcy.AP
The deadliest shooting in Maine history shocked the state of 1.3 million people with little violent crime and only 29 homicides in all of 2022.
Three patients remain in critical condition at Central Maine Medical Center, and a fourth is stable, hospital officials said. Another patient was sent to Massachusetts General Hospital, and the rest were discharged.
A stay-at-home order during the massive search was lifted Friday afternoon, hours before authorities announced they had found Card’s body at the Maine Recycling Corp.
The Lewiston shooting was the 36th mass shooting in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by the AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. The database includes every mass killing since 2006 from all weapons in which four or more people, not including offenders, were killed in a 24-hour period.
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
