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QUOTE OF THE DAY
— Tom Giberti, who survived being shot seven times in the legs in the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting in Lewiston.
THE LEWISTON SHOOTING, ONE YEAR LATER
One year ago today, a shooter killed 18 people and wounded another 13 at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston. Investigations, internal reviews and independent reporting revealed authorities missed many opportunities to intervene and perhaps prevent the tragedy that unfolded on Oct. 25, 2023.
In the minutes, hours and days after the shooting, hundreds of Mainers were called into action to do things they were trained to do — or not. These are the stories of three of those who were called to serve.
Tom Giberti was working at the bowling alley the night of the shooting and helped as many as a dozen children escape before seven bullets pierced his legs. He’s been hailed as a hero, though he won’t call himself one. A year later, he detailed his recovery and how he’s put the shooting behind him. “I wouldn’t wish this on anybody, not even my worst enemy.”
While some questions about the shooting remain unanswered, few have faced sanctions for the lapses and failures investigators uncovered. The community, friends and families are left to pick up the pieces and make sense of the shooting and remember the 18 who lost their lives a year ago.
Some of the victims and their relatives have since become gun control advocates, while others oppose gun restrictions more now than they did before the shooting. Interviews with more than a dozen political figures, gun dealers and owners, and those who have survived gun violence in Lewiston show a state struggling to define its relationship with guns.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE STATE
- Bangor medical office closes after doctor’s license is revoked over sexual assault claim
- Bucksport voters will elect at least 2 new town councilors next month
- Van Buren town manager wins statewide economic development award
- MDI students hold walkout after video of altercation spreads
- Most Maine farms with forever chemicals are still in business
- Maine Bagel in Scarborough to close after nearly 2 decades
- State warns people not to eat PFAS-contaminated wildlife in 2 more areas
- Former Maine cop is making Kamala Harris and Tim Walz disinformation in Russia
- A famous and dilapidated midcoast home was demolished by fire
- Austin Theriault’s late Donald Trump-heavy pitch is aimed at Republican voters
- Caribou apartment building a total loss after electrical fire
- Maine expands cannabis recall over failed bacteria, yeast and mold tests
- Crash snarls traffic on Route 1A in Holden
MAINE IN PICTURES
THE BDN NEWS QUIZ
Here’s a really easy bonus trivia item for this week’s BDN News Quiz. Question: What’s a fun way to spend 5 minutes of your Friday morning? Answer: The BDN News Quiz. See? That was easy! Click here to answer the rest of them and see how well you remember the news of the week.
FROM THE OPINION PAGES
“As important as it is for Maine to move forward together, we must also hold on to the memories of those taken from us, and maintain an inextinguishable reserve of outrage to do everything in our power to prevent this from happening again.”
Editorial: Still ‘Lewiston Strong’ and still healing one year after shooting
LIFE IN MAINE
The BDN wants to know: How did your garden grow this year? We’ve done interviews and kept up with Maine gardeners on social media, but we know there are more of you out there.
Here’s what Mainers might be for Halloween. The annual Google Trends “Frightgeist” report is out, and it lists the top five costume searches for Bangor, Portland and Presque Isle.
Ride along on a wildly successful grouse hunt. “Tales of bird hunting success always sounded too good to be true, mostly because our group had never enjoyed such an experience,” BDN Outdoors contributor Pete Warner.