Lewiston strong…but HELP is needed!

Hi, my name is Sandra Wallace, my husband is Paul, our son is Dylan, and our daughter is Christina. Paul and I live in Enfield, Maine, and never thought in a million years we would have to write such a post. No parent wants their child to be a part of or see anything horrific, and the majority do not, but here we are…

On October 25, 2023, my son went to work at Just-In-Time recreation center/bowling alley. He was working there while trying to get his massage business off the ground.

Around 8:00 pm, Paul got a phone call from a Brunswick number and didn’t answer it as he doesn’t know anyone from Brunswick. After it stopped ringing, the same number immediately called again, so he thought he should take it. It was Dylan (borrowing someone else’s phone as his was back in the building). He said, “I just wanted you guys to know that I’m ok.” Paul said, “What do you mean you’re ok?” Dylan said, “You haven’t heard? It will be all over the news pretty soon. There was a shooting here at the bowling alley, but I’m ok. I can’t talk as this is someone else’s phone and a lot of people need to use it, but I wanted to let you know.” We turned on the news immediately and there it was! We were in shock! And it didn’t stop there. As the number of deaths increased, as the number of wounded increased, as more and more details emerged, we realized, or thought we did, just how close we came to losing our son. Little did we know....

A couple of days after the shooting, Dylan found it very therapeutic to write down on paper how things unfolded for him that night, and he has included some updates on how things are for him now, a month later. He has graciously agreed to share his account with all of you. If you choose to click on this link, please be aware it may be a trigger for some people and it may be too graphic for others. If you choose not to click on this link, here is the story in MY words, which also may contain triggers and be too graphic for some even though I've tried to leave most of the details out.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6wog9yg9xl5rm0eralofh/Bowling-Alley-Shooting.pdf?rlkey=o9b1pnb78gh4bqujx34ohsc89&dl=0

Dylan had just left the maintenance office in the back and was walking toward the pathway to the front to respond to a call for assistance on a lane. He heard a gunshot but didn't recognize it for what it was at first. He thought it might have been coming from the machine he had been called to fix, but after 5 or 6 more loud bangs, he knew they were gunshots. Because of the normal noise of the machines, he wasn't able to hear the screams...yet.

Before he got to the pathway leading to the front, a woman with a group of kids (6-8) came running around the corner; they were obviously terrified and screaming. Dylan was right by his office door, so he quickly pushed them inside and then turned to continue to the front. He encountered two more women who were yelling and asking how they could get out. Before he could help them, they collapsed on the floor with one woman yelling that her husband was dead. Dylan said that up until that point, he had assumed it was a fight between a couple people and one drew a gun, but he now knew it was much more than that. He got them up and helped them outside, told them to call 9-1-1, and headed back into the building. As he reached the corner again, he saw two people on the other side of the maintenance path. They were on the ground and trying to get behind the last pin machine. Dylan knew there wasn't a way out over there. He was still hearing gunshots, so he looked quickly through 2 doorways that led to the front to make sure it was clear, and he started running toward them. He saw a large blood trail and knew at least one of them needed immediate help. Before reaching them, Dylan slipped in the pooling blood, slamming his ankle into the side of the pin machine.

When he reached them, Dylan thought one of them was just a boy, maybe 12 or 13, but he came to realize later that he was 16 and his name was Gavin. He looked at Dylan and said, "I can't feel my arm! I can't feel my arm!". He had been shot in the area of his elbow and was losing a lot of blood very quickly. Gavin was obviously terrified and in shock. Dylan now noticed the other person...Tom, who had just been in Dylan's office looking for a screwdriver. Tom's pants were bloody and he was moaning; he had been shot in both legs.

Dylan grabbed Gavin's upper arm and, with another hand on his back, started taking him to safety in the maintenance office. When he got to the office door, the woman (Janet) was dragging a piece of machinery in front of the door to block it. Dylan yelled for her to take Gavin, to keep his arm up, which she did, and continue to barricade the door once Dylan had gone.

As Dylan was running back to Tom, he took his belt off to use as a tourniquet on Tom's leg. Another person, Tony, was now with Tom. Dylan handed him his belt and told him to put it on Tom's leg and started running back to the office. Dylan has since learned that Tony used to be an EMT and Tom was in good hands.

Before Dylan reached the office door, the first officers arrived. One ran up to Dylan, drawing his gun, and asking where the shooter was. Dylan didn't know as he hadn't actually seen anyone. Dylan led him back to the alley, explaining that there was a man who had been shot at the farther end and there were children in the office, one of whom had also been shot. The officer pounded on the door and tried to shove it open, but Janet had it blocked very well. The officer then ran toward Tom. Dylan heard more sirens and yelled to Janet that the police were here. A second officer approached and Dylan also told him about Tom and Gavin and said one officer was already headed up the hallway. This officer pounded on the office door, identified himself, and told them to open up. The door opened as much as it could and Janet demanded to see the officer's badge. Dylan told Janet it was, indeed, the police, but she still insisted on seeing his badge. The officer ripped off his Velcro badge and tried to hand it to Janet, but Dylan thinks she dropped it. The officer had to move on to assess more of the situation. Dylan yelled again for Janet to open the door. She asked if the shooter was gone. He realized Janet was not going to open that door until the threat was gone, a very smart move, and Dylan didn't know if it was over or not. He did know, however, that Gavin still needed a tourniquet. He stopped everyone that ran by to see if they had a belt on. Finally, he had one and handed it in to Janet to put on Gavin's arm.

Dylan headed back down the alley towards Tom. An officer was trying to drag Tom to the exit to get him outside. Dylan assisted and once outside, Dylan helped Tom call his wife while an officer put a tourniquet on his other leg, then they started moving him toward the ambulance. Dylan's ankle that he sprained earlier gave out on him, but another person came and took Dylan's place. Dylan got up and ran/limped back to the building in time to see another officer escorting Gavin to another ambulance. However, when Dylan tried to go back into the building, an officer held him back and told him to stay away from the building. Dylan still wonders who else he could have helped had he been allowed back inside. There were about 50 people outside at this point, and because no one knew where the shooter was, the group was surrounded by police officers in case he returned. It was during this time that they heard over the officers' radios about shots being fired at Schemengees. Many police ran to their vehicles and raced over there.

After a couple hours, they were all taken to the Lewiston Armory where statements had to be given before they were allowed to go home.

Dylan has seen a therapist regularly since then. His wife and daughter have also received counseling. He continues to have trouble sleeping, his hands will shake for no apparent reason, he's on guard whenever he goes out, he jumps at the sound of a car door slamming, he has panic attacks.

His therapist doesn't want him working right now. They used all of their savings to pay their mortgage (which is secure now until the end of December) and electric bill. He is only guaranteed unemployment benefits through November 30; after that, it will have to be approved at the state level. Even if it's approved, it's not much. The local Chamber of Commerce has graciously paid some of their bills and they are grateful for that. They have visited the food cupboard and have been treated very kindly each time they've been. Some family members have given them money for groceries and whatever bills it could cover.

Winter is approaching, Christmas is approaching....Dylan and his family need assistance with heat, mortgage, food, etc., their basic needs. It would be AMAZING if we could raise enough money for him to take his family away for a week....to try to relax, unwind, and slow down if only for a short time. They desperately need to regroup because PTSD is real and his healing will be a process...

Dylan and his family’s lives (his wife, Lisa, and their 10-year-old daughter, Catherine), the lives of Dylan’s and Lisa’s family and friends, and the lives of all the people involved that night have forever changed.

Paul, Christina, and I thank everyone in advance who feels led to help bring a little peace of mind to Dylan and his family by helping with their basic needs until he is ready to return to work.