Devoted youth bowling coach. 'Hero' bar manager. Families remember Maine shooting victims

A bar manager whose father said confronted the gunman and a retiree who devoted himself to coaching youth bowling were among the victims killed during the deadly shootings in Lewiston, Maine, this week.

According to Maine State Police, seven people died Wednesday night at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley. Six were male and one was female. Eight more people, all male, died at Schemengees Bar and Grille. Three others died after being taken to area hospitals.

Residents in and around Lewiston were still sheltering in place Thursday evening as authorities continued to search for a 40-year-old Army reservist who is wanted for murder in connection with the mass shootings, according to police. Authorities have not released the victims’ names, but their family members have been confirming their deaths.

Here's what we know about the victims:

Joe Walker

Joe Walker was the bar manager at Schemengees Bar and Grille. His father, Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker, told NBC News on Thursday his son was shot twice in the stomach as he went after the gunman with a butcher knife.

“He died as a hero,” his father said.

Waiting for confirmation of his worst fears Wednesday night, Walker told the network he felt like his guts and neck were being “squashed.” Knowing that his son died trying to stop the shooter did not make him feel any better, he told Lester Holt, "It made it worse," he said. "It made it worse."

“And I don’t know, telling you the truth, what kind of night this is going to be from now until tomorrow when I wake up to the true facts that my son is dead – and I know he’s dead,” he said in the hours after the shooting. “I know it as well as I know I’m standing here telling you because he’s not here and he’s not at any other hospital and he’s not running the streets or he would have called us, because he manages Schemengees, so I know he was there.”

Bob Violette, 76

Bob Violette, 76, devoted himself to his volunteer job coaching the youth bowling league that was practicing Wednesday night at Just-In-Time Recreation, said Patrick Poulin, whose teenage son has been a member of the league for three years.

“He’s taught so many people over the years how to bowl, and he wasn’t getting paid,” he said. “We’ve really been focused on trying to keep the sport alive, and Bob was really an integral part of that.”

Violette’s daughter confirmed his death to WBZ-TV. Poulin described him as unfailingly approachable and caring.

"Sometimes kids are having a hard time for whatever reason, discouraged or something," he said. "He was great at picking them up and getting them to move along from that issue and get things going in the right direction."

Two weeks ago, Poulin was at the bowling center with his son and offered him some tips. His son resisted, but eventually took the advice and bowled a great game.

“You gave him some good instructions, so when are you going to get out here and coach with me?” Violette asked him.

Poulin replied that he’d have to think about it. Asked Thursday if he’d consider it now, he said, "Someone’s got to step back in."

Bill and Aaron Young

Bill Young and his 14-year-old son, Aaron Young, were fatally shot at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, Bill’s brother, Rob Young, told Reuters. They had been out for an evening with their bowling league, he said.

Before learning of their deaths, Rob said he had flown from Baltimore to Lewiston Thursday to help his family frantically search for information after receiving no word from Bill or Aaron since Wednesday.

Kim McConville of Bucks County, Pennsylvania told NBC News her family learned Thursday afternoon that her cousin, Bill Young, and Aaron had been killed in the shooting.

“Just innocent people out for a night of bowling,” she told the network. “This was a children's event. You know, who expects a shooter to go into a children's event? But you know, this is a crazy world that we live in today.”

Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, an industrial trade union, said in a statement Thursday that Peyton Brewer-Ross was a victim in the shooting.

Brewer-Ross, 40, was a Local S6 education committee member who graduated from a rigorous apprenticeship in 2022, according to the Machinists Union. "Peyton’s contribution to Local S6 and Bath Iron Works has been invaluable, and his loss is deeply felt within our union and the broader community," said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. in a statement.

Union General Vice President Brian Bryant, a Local S6 member and former Bath Iron Works pipefitter, said the shooting has impacted them in a “catastrophic” way. 

In a statement, the union’s local chapter said Brewer-Ross was a "kind upstanding member of our community." and a "colorful" character who loved cornhole, wrestling, and comic book heroes."

"He worked hard and cared deeply for the people around him," the statement continued. "All those who have been caught up in this tragedy have been left with a painful void."

The union said it dispatched its critical response team to aid members in Maine.

Contributing: Claire Thornton and Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY; The Associated Press