Two support centers have opened for the community in Lewiston, Maine after a mass shooting left 18 people dead this week
A Family Assistance Center will be opened for the foreseeable future for people who were injured or present at the Lewiston Armory at 65 Central Ave. It was described as a one-stop shop for victims and the people that support them so they don't have to go to different agencies to receive help.
This is a space where victims and witnesses can come get help and process what they went through while authorities process the evidence.
The Armory will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the foreseeable future.
There will also be a second center open to anyone in the community seeking help processing the trauma, whether they were present at the shooting locations or not, at the Ramada Inn in Lewiston.
We’re now learning that a statewide alert was issued in September after the shooter made threats against his military base and fellow soldiers. The Associated Press is reporting that police moved on after stepping up patrols and visiting his home without any sign of him.
Maine’s Public Safety Commissioner said yesterday that they are looking into mental health issues as the nexus to the mass shootings, but the shooter wasn’t forcibly committed for treatment as far as he knows. He also gave new details on the note that was left behind, written to a loved one detailing the passcode to his phone and his bank account numbers. Authorities are now working on a warrant to search his phone. In the meantime, the community is trying to come to terms with this trauma.
