By Jeanne Bonner and Jay Croft | CNN
For the victims of the mass shooting Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, it was an ordinary night out.
Some were participating in a cornhole tournament while others were enjoying a meal. Then a shooter ended their fun.
And now another American community is grieving as the identities of those friends and loved ones whose lives were lost emerge.
Police are searching for Robert Card in connection with the massacre at a restaurant and bowling alley that killed 18 people and injured 13 others.
It is the deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year, and the worst since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, last year. Overall, at least 566 mass shootings have happened this year across the country, with four or more shot excluding the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
Here’s what we know so far about the victims:
Tricia Asselin
Tricia Asselin, 53, was the heart of her tight-knit family and worked as a part-time employee at the bowling alley, Just-in-Time Recreation, her siblings told CNN.
Even on her night off on Wednesday, Asselin was at Just-in-Time, her brother told CNN.
“What I’m told is that when it all started happening, she ran up to the counter and started to call 911, and that’s when she was shot,” DJ Johnson told CNN. “That was just her. She wasn’t going to run. She was going to try and help.”
His other sister was also there and was able to escape, Johnson said.
Peyton Brewer-Ross
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 39, was participating in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant when he was killed, his brother Ralph Brewer told CNN. Brewer-Ross loved playing cornhole and enjoying hanging out with friends at Schemengees.
Brewer-Ross “loved being a dad more than anything else,” his brother said. Two weeks ago, Brewer-Ross celebrated the second birthday of his daughter, Elle.
Tommy Conrad
Tommy Conrad, 34, was identified as one of the victims of the Lewiston mass shootings, his family confirmed to CNN affiliate WMTW. Conrad was the manager at the bowling alley and is survived by his 9-year-old daughter.
Michael Deslauriers II
Michael Deslauriers II was killed while attempting to charge at the shooter at the bowling alley, his father, Michael Deslauriers Sr., said on Facebook.
Deslauriers Sr., who is the chairman of the Sabattus Historical Society, announced on the organization’s Facebook page that his son and his friend died trying to stop the shooter.
“They made sure their wives and several young children were under cover then they charged the shooter,” Deslauriers Sr. said.
Deslauriers Sr. described making the announcement as the “hardest news for a father to ever have to share.”
Bryan MacFarlane
Bryan MacFarlane, 40, was participating in the cornhole tournament at Schemengees when he was killed, his sister Keri Brooks told CNN.
MacFarlane, who’s part of the local deaf community, usually goes to Schemengees on Wednesdays where people from the deaf community gather to play cornhole, Brooks said.
Arthur “Artie” Strout
Arthur “Artie” Strout was at Schemengees during the shooting, his father, Arthur Bernard, told CNN affiliate WBZ.
Bernard said he had just left Schemengees when he received the heartbreaking call that there was an active shooter.
Strout’s family thought he was at the hospital but learned the news of his death on Thursday. He leaves behind five children.
Joseph “Joey” Walker
Leroy Walker, a city councilor in Auburn, Maine, told CNN affiliate WGME, that his son, Joseph Walker, was one of the victims at Schemengees. Walker said state police told his son’s wife that Joseph, the manager of the bar, picked up a knife and went after the gunman to try and stop him from killing other people and that’s when Joseph was shot to death.
After 14 hours of waiting, Walker said he and his family were notified of Joseph’s death.
“I’m very proud of my son,” Leroy Walker said on CNN on Friday morning, adding his son was a loving person who will be missed by thousands. “I know that definitely he would do this all over again.
“For someone to do this to so many families, as well as my own, it’s just crazy. It just leaves you an empty hole that I don’t know how it will ever be filled.”
He said he has no hatred for the killer.
“You have to put that out of your mind,” he said. “You have to let the Lord do whatever needs to be done. If you hate, and the hate drives you crazy, you’re going to hurt people. Hate will never bring my son back.”
Joshua Seal
Beloved American Sign Language interpreter Joshua Seal had been taking part in the cornhole tournament for deaf athletes at Schemengees when he was killed Wednesday, according to his wife, says CNN affiliate, WGME.
Seal’s employer, Pine Tree Society, said in a Facebook statement that Seal was the director of interpreting services.
Seal gained attention during the pandemic as one of the lead interpreters for the deaf for Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Dr. Nirav Shah during the daily Covid-19 briefings.
“He was a husband, a father of four and a tireless advocate for the Deaf community. He was committed to creating safe space for Deaf people and was widely known as the ASL interpreter for Dr. Shah’s pandemic briefings. The ripple effects of his loss will be felt by countless Maine people,” reads the Facebook post.
In a Facebook tribute to her husband, Elizabeth Seal says he was a supportive father who loved spending time with his children.
“He (Joshua) always loved spending time with them, traveling, going for a day trip to the beach, or going camping for the weekend,” Seal’s wife said. “Not only was he an amazing father, he was a wonderful husband, my best friend, and my soulmate. He was also a wonderful boss, an incredible interpreter, a great friend, a loving son, brother, uncle, and grandson. He loved his family and always put them first. That is what he will always be remembered for.”
Maxx Hathaway
• Maxx Hathaway was a full-time, stay-at-home dad of two, with a third child on the way, his sister, Kelsay Hathaway said.
“He was a goofy, down to earth person, loved to joke around and always had an uplifting attitude no matter what was going on,” Kelsay Hathaway said in a verified GoFundMe campaign she set up. “Brenda (his wife), the girls, his family and friends meant the world to him, and his loss will be felt among the communities that he was a part of and grew up in.”
Hathaway’s wife is due in a little over a month, Kelsay Hathaway said.
Maxx was at Schemengees when the gunman attacked.
His wife, Brenda Hathaway, was at the bar that night when her toddler, Lilian, started to get fussy. She told the Boston Globe that she left early while Maxx stayed behind to play pool.
“With what support we can get, we would love to be able to provide Brenda with assistance for childcare, celebration of life, groceries, etc since she will soon have a new member of the family,” Kelsay wrote on the GoFundMe campaign.
• In a separate social media post, Hathaway’s other sister, Courtney Hathaway, said she’s shocked and heartbroken.
“I lost my big brother in the tragic mass shooting last night. I’m feeling a lot of things right now but I’m mostly heartbroken that he’s gone. Nothing really prepares you for the sudden and shocking loss of a loved one, especially when it happens in such a tragedy,” Courtney Hathaway said in a Facebook post. “Maxx was such a loving person, and it really was something watching him become a father to two girls and there is one on the way. We’re all going to miss him.
Bill and Aaron Young
Bill Young and his 14-year-old son, Aaron, were also among those killed, according to Reuters.
CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, Elizabeth Wolfe, Sara Smart, Paradise Afshar, Amanda Jackson, Cara Lynn Clarkson and Aya Elamroussi contributed to this report.
