Lewiston shooting survivor Gavin Robitaille at Massachusetts General Hospital. Robitaille was recently released from the hospital, his family said Wednesday. Courtesy Massachusetts General Hospital
LEWISTON— Gavin Robitaille, the youngest survivor of the Oct. 25 mass shooting, was recently released from Mass General for Children, according to a statement Wednesday from the Robitaille family.
Robitaille, of Auburn, needed several reconstructive surgeries to his arm which suffered muscle and nerve damage from a .308 caliber bullet fired from mass shooter Robert Card’s Ruger SFAR, an AR-10 style rifle.
The 16-year-old Edward Little High School sophomore was bowling with his mother and sister at Just-In-Time Recreation on Mollison Way when Card entered and started shooting. Robitaille’s father and grandfather were at Schemengees Bar and Grille on Lincoln Street at the time — another site where Card opened fire. In all, 18 people were killed. Robitaille was among 13 injured in the shootings.
Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk, left, with Lewiston shooting survivor Gavin Robitaille at Massachusetts General Hospital. Courtesy Massachusetts General Hospital
The Robitaille family thanked the teams at Mass General for Children and Central Maine Medical Center for saving Gavin’s life and “seeing all of us through our darkest moments.”
“While we are thrilled to be back home, Gavin is beginning a long road of follow-up care, much of it in Boston for the foreseeable future,” the statement reads. “The journey ahead is long, tough and financially hard, but we count ourselves exceedingly lucky to be surrounded by friends and loved ones. We can’t thank everyone enough for the ongoing outpouring of generosity, warmth and love, as well continued respect for our privacy as we embark down a long road of healing as a family.”
The family also thanked Boston Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk for visiting Gavin at the end of his hospitalization.
“It brought a much-needed smile to all our faces— especially Gavin’s!” the statement said.
Gavin’s next surgery is scheduled for Dec. 27 at Mass General, according to a GoFundMe campaign that family friend Deb Soucy established to help with costs for Gavin’s recovery.
Portland Press Herald reporter Dennis Hoey contributed to this report.
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