The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Mainers gather to pray, reflect days after mass shooter kills 18
Investigators searching for motive focusing on gunman’s mental health.
Church bells rang Sunday as Maine residents gathered at somber and sometimes joyful services to pray and support one another following a traumatic week in which a fellow Mainer gunned down 18 people in the worst mass killing in state history.
The Rev. Daniel Greenleaf began services at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston with a moment of silence. Then, he told the congregation that it was good to be able to finally pray together after days of lockdown imposed while police searched for the 40-year-old gunman Robert Card.
The body of Card was found Friday in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls. Card died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, but it was unclear when, authorities said. Card is suspected of also injuring 13 people during the shooting rampage on Wednesday night in Lewiston.
Several women wore black veils in the cavernous sanctuary, where a church official said they are raising funds to help shooting victims and others hurt by “the horrible events in our small town.”
“We can see the rays of light in darkness,” Greenleaf said during his sermon. He told the worshippers that it is times like this that they have “practiced” their faith for.
“We cannot fix this, but then again human beings are not machines to be fixed,” Greenleaf said.
At Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, the mood was upbeat as church members arrived and greeted each other. But the atmosphere became somber when the Rev. Brian Ganong referenced the tragedy. He prayed for the 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 ties to some members of the church.
“It did happen. We may never know the reason why,” he said, encouraging the congregation to seek solace through a higher being.
After the service, Ganong said it “took one person” to shatter the community’s “sense of peace and security.”
“They feel violated, right? They feel intruded upon. This has infringed upon their safety,” he said. “But I understand that we live in a world that is evil. And it was probably a matter of time before it infringed upon us.”
Standing outside the basilica after attending early Mass, Marcel Roy said the last few days have been painful but that he’s hopeful the community can being the long process of healing.
“This feels good,” Roy said as the church bells rang.
The 70-year-old Lewiston resident said that he knew four of the shooting victims and is praying for them as well as the shooter.
“I can’t hate the guy,” he said of the gunman. “He wasn’t brought up as a killer.”
Authorities recovered a multitude of weapons during their search for Card and believe he had legally purchased his guns, including those recovered in his car and near his body, said Jim Ferguson, the special agent in charge of the Boston office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He declined to provide specific details about the guns, including their make and model, and wouldn’t say exactly how many were found.
Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre, but have increasingly been focused on Card’s mental health history. State Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said Card had been hearing voices and had paranoia.
Card believed “people were talking about him and there may even have been some voices at play,” Sauschuck said.
Family members of Card told federal investigators that he had recently discussed hearing voices and became more focused on the bowling alley and bar, according to law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of the investigation.
A fight between two groups turned deadly in Florida when a shooting in a Tampa street during Halloween festivities resulted in two deaths and 18 people hospitalized early Sunday morning, police said. One suspect is in custody and at least one more is being sought.
At least two shooters opened fire just before 3 a.m. on the 1600 block of East 7th Avenue in the Ybor City area, Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said during a press conference at the scene.
The fight occurred in an area with several bars and clubs, and there were large numbers of late night revelers in the area at the time, Bercaw said. Police were not immediately sure if the people involved in the fight were inside any of the bars before the shooting.
Tampa police spokeswoman Jonee Lewis said “hundreds” of people were out on the streets as numerous nightspots closed early Sunday. She said one person was detained but no charges were immediately filed. “They’re being questioned and we’ll go from there,” Lewis said.
Police have not released the names of those killed, but Emmitt Wilson said his 14-year-old son, Elijah, was one of the fatalities. Wilson came to the scene Sunday after getting a call that his son was a victim.
“It’s madness to me,” Wilson said. “I hope the investigators do their job and find out who killed my son.”
Video posted online shows people, many in Halloween costumes, drinking and talking on