Unraveling the Maine Shooting Incident: From Leisure to Tragedy, Survivors Seek Answers

The initial sound that reached 10-year-old Toni Asselin’s ears resembled the sharp crack of a cue ball colliding forcefully on a billiard table. Mistaking the second noise for the thud of a dropped bowling ball, she was stunned when the third revealed a horrific reality: a person was shot and fell off their seat.

The violent episode unfolded shortly before 7 p.m. on a Wednesday evening at Just-in-Time Recreation—a popular 34-lane bowling alley known for its $75 “Pizza, Pins and Pepsi” package, which includes a large pizza, a pitcher of soda, and two hours of bowling for groups of six.

A patron had just disengaged his footwear, believing the initial sound to be a balloon bursting approximately 15 feet behind him. On turning, he was met with the sight of a gunman and immediately sprinted down a bowling lane.

“I effectively slid into the pin area and ascended into the machinery,” he recounted.

What had been an innocuous evening of bowling and social interaction was transformed into a devastating tragedy. The assailant targeted individuals engaging in leisurely activities, from bowling and beanbag tosses to sharing drinks with friends and working night shifts.

For Toni Asselin and her mother Tammy, the event was especially harrowing. A coach quickly escorted Toni and her youth league teammates outside. While some employees barricaded themselves in a freezer, others hid children in a backroom office. Tammy Asselin, initially paralyzed with shock, stumbled over bowling bags as she sought cover behind an overturned table to call emergency services. According to authorities, the first of numerous 911 calls was logged at 6:56 p.m., prompting swift police response.

At a subsequent moment, a young boy whispered words of comfort to Toni Asselin: “Don’t cry. It will be alright.”

A series of additional gunshots were followed by an eerie quiet.

“Is the assailant hunting or is he deceased?” Toni wondered, her mother shouting her name before others quickly hushed her out of concern that the gunman might still be present.

The shooter then proceeded to Schemengees Bar & Grille—a venue four miles away hosting an event for the deaf community. There, the killing resumed. The final tally was 18 dead and 13 wounded across both locations.

One victim, Peyton Brewer-Ross, was particularly passionate about the game of cornhole. “When he was killed, he was engaged in an activity he deeply loved,” said his brother, Wellman Brewer.

The bar manager, Joe Walker, heroically attempted to disarm the gunman using a butcher knife and was fatally shot in the process, according to multiple media reports.

Police were alerted to the second shooting incident at 7:08 p.m. The first officers arrived on the scene five minutes later. A manhunt for the suspect, identified as Robert Card, was initiated, encompassing land and water searches. He was later found dead at a recycling plant where he had previously worked.

As authorities continue to investigate the motive behind the carnage, survivors are left grappling with questions that defy simple answers.

“Why target a bowling alley? Why innocent people?” Tammy Asselin asked, only to later discover the death of her cousin Tricia, who had also been at the bowling alley that fateful evening.

Contributions for this report were made by David Sharp, a writer for Big Big News.

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More about Maine shooting investigation

• Official Police Statement on Maine Shooting Incident
• Witness Accounts: Stories from Survivors
• Timeline of Events: Maine Shooting
• Local News Coverage: Just-in-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar & Grille Attacks
• National Media Reports on Maine Tragedy
• Community Reactions and Memorial Services
• Law Enforcement Tactics: Responding to Active Shooter Situations
• Public Safety Announcements: How to Respond in a Shooting Event