Candlelight vigil held in honor of those killed in Lewiston mass shooting
By Keenan Mills
Click here for updates on this story
LEWISTON, Maine (WMTW) — On the three-year anniversary of a Lewiston mass shooting that killed 18 people and injured 13 others, the community held a candlelight vigil to honor the victims and stand alongside the survivors.
The event was hosted and organized by the Maine Resiliency Center, an organization created weeks after the shooting to provide support and services to the victims’ families, survivors and anybody impacted by the tragedy.
“Eighteen of them were killed. Tonight, we gather to remember those 18 people who were killed,” announced Maine Resiliency Center associate director Meredith Stack.
Dozens filled the hill at Lewiston’s Simard-Payne Park for the ceremony before a reading of the names of the 18 victims.
“It isn’t only the lives that ended on October 25th. It’s all the life that should have been lived since,” said Maine Resiliency Center director Danielle Parent.
One of the names that was read was Arthur Strout. Strout’s father, Arthur Barnard, attended the ceremony.
“I’ve come to grips that it’s unavoidable,” said Barnard. “The feelings and the things and emotions that happen today, it’s just unavoidable.”
Barnard said that this morning, he took time to recall the last time he spent with his son, three years ago.
“This morning, just waking up, and thinking about how it unfolded, everything that day. And I think it happens for all of us. The things we say to each other before this all happened,” commented Barnard. “I guess the only thing, I really, I was fortunate I spent the last 2.5 hours of his life with him, and he was happy.”
The ceremony closed as the group walked together to the Longley Bridge to release flower petals.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.