LEWISTON — Nearly a year after Maine’s deadliest shooting that claimed the lives of 18 people and wounded 13 more in Lewiston, two of the victims’ family members spoke out Tuesday, reflecting on the personal impact of the tragic events of the night of Oct. 25, 2023, calling for justice for their loved ones and what can be done to avert another mass shooting.

At a news conference announcing notice of intent to bring federal lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Defense and a U.S. Army hospital in New York, dozens of survivors gathered at the Franco Center on Cedar Street where two spouses of victims shared firsthand accounts of the personal impacts the shooting had on them and their views on efforts — or lack thereof — to prevent the tragedy.

“There is pain, trauma and regrets that will never go away,” said Cynthia Young, whose husband William, 44, an auto mechanic, and son Aaron, 14, a student at Winthrop High School, were killed at Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley on Mollison Way where Aaron was in a youth bowling league.

“Last year …  my life, as well as so many of the others here today, has changed forever,” she said.

“As terrible as the shooting was, it’s even more tragic that there were many opportunities to prevent this and yet they were not taken,” Young said.

“My husband, Bill, and my son, Aaron, were taken from me in what seems like an instant. I kissed and hugged them both, and I told them I loved them. I pulled my son back for a second hug, not knowing it would be the last time I ever saw them,” she said.

“It’s so difficult for us to relive those moments. There’s pain, trauma and regrets that will never go away and I know most of the people here with me feel the same,’ she said.

“There were multiple people in agencies who saw the warning signs leading up to Oct. 25 and they did not take proper actions to stop Robert Card or to get him the help that he needed. There needs to be accountability for those actions not taken that led up to the 18 souls being lost and also the loss of feeling safe and secure for the survivors of this tragic event,” Young said.

“Moving forward, I hope that we will initiate changes within these agencies that will stop this from ever happening again, and to prevent anyone else from ever having to experience the depth of pain and grief that we have,” she said.

Elizabeth Seal spoke Tuesday through American Sign Language interpreter Grace Cooney, about her husband, Joshua Seal, 36, the father of their four young children.

He was a certified deaf interpreter, helping out at news conferences, most notably the pandemic briefings, according to his obituary.

Seal, who was killed at Schemengees Bar & Grille on Lincoln Street, was the director of interpreting services for Pine Tree Society and spent seven years as an educational technician for Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, acting as a strong advocate for students and the deaf community.

“It didn’t matter how busy he was, he always made time to devote to his family. He cherished us first and foremost and was so devoted,” she said.

“He always took time to spend with his four children, one on one and as a family. I am so grateful that my children have special memories of their father. However, he’s not here anymore, and I’m left with four children who miss their father tremendously,” she said.

Their oldest son, who is 13, is graduating from middle school soon and moving on to high school.

“He doesn’t have his dad around to chat about anything navigating the teenage years or strategizing about these competitive events in sports, how to engage and improve on his sport,” she said.

Their 10-year-old daughter “was a daddy’s girl,” Seal said.

“He was wrapped around her little finger and he would have done anything for her. She’s going to be graduating from elementary school and moving on to middle school without her dad there to protect her, to chat with her, to answer all of her inquisitive questions, to play, you know, in her creative mind with her,” Seal said.

Their 7-year-old son just started at a new school.

“Dad’s not around to help him manage his emotions, regulate his feelings, read with him, go outside and play to get rid of some of his fabulous energy, burn off some of that steam. He will not be here for that,” she said.

Their youngest son is 4 years old.

“He’s going to graduate from preschool and go on to kindergarten,” Seal said. “Dad’s not here to watch his T-ball games to see him get that first school bus ride, or to hear his stories, his mischievous stories. He’s not going to be here for any of that.”

“For me, I don’t have my husband any longer, my life partner, the one I navigated everything with. I don’t have my partner here to support me. He was my anchor in the storm and he helped level my even keel, and we were able to talk about and navigate anything,” she said.

“It’s impossible to know whether this tragedy could have been prevented, but obviously there are several steps that could have been taken to prevent this tragedy,” Seal said. “If those steps would have been taken, we may still have our 18 loved ones with us today.

“I don’t want this to happen to any other family. We need to keep the people who acted in a neglectful way accountable because they may have been responsible for the loss of our 18 loved ones,” she said.

“For those of us who are victims and survivors, the emotional and physical trauma will stay with us forever,” Seal said.

“Once justice is served, I feel maybe we can start that process of healing, but in the meantime, we’re going to stay Lewiston strong,” she said.

A yearlong state investigation into the mass shooting, which was finalized recently in a report by the Commission to Investigate the Facts of the Tragedy in Lewiston, pointed to several missteps and poor judgments that, had they been handled differently, might have helped avert the mass shooting.

U.S. Army Reservist Robert Card II, 40, armed with a .308-caliber Ruger SFAR4 rifle with a scope and laser, entered the bowling alley on Mollison Way shortly before 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 where more than 60 customers and workers were present, including 20 children.

In 45 seconds, Card fired 18 rounds, killing eight people and wounding three others. More people suffered injuries while trying to hide or escape the gunfire.

Card then drove the four miles to Schemengees Bar & Grille, left his car running outside the main entrance and entered the building at 7:07 p.m.

In 78 seconds, he fired 36 rounds, killing 10 more people and wounding 10 others. Like at the bowling alley, other people suffered injuries during the chaos.

The commission pointed to a lack of follow-through by the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office in failing to take steps under the state’s so-called yellow flag law to start the process of taking Card into protective custody and initiate a petition to confiscate any firearms he possessed or over which he had control.

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office noted that the U.S. Army Reserve Unit in which Card served had not shared all the relevant information it had about Card’s erratic behavior leading up to the shootings.

The commission also found that the leaders of Card’s unit failed to undertake necessary steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public.

Card’s commanding officers had been aware that he suffered from auditory hallucinations, displayed increasingly aggressive behavior, had a collection of guns, and had made “ominous comments about his intentions,” according to the commission’s report.

Yet, they “ignored the strong recommendations of Card’s U.S. Army mental health providers to stay engaged with his care and ‘mak[e] sure that steps are taken to remove weapons’ from his home. They neglected to share with the (Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office) all the information relating to Card’s threatening behavior, and actually discounted some of the evidence about the threat posed by Card,” according to the report.

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