Jason Walker, left, sharing a meal with his lifelong friend Michael Deslauriers II. Both men died trying to stop the shooter who opened fire in a Lewiston bowling alley Oct. 25. They are among the 18 victims who perished in the hail of bullets at two entertainment venues in town. Submitted photo
LEWISTON — On the evening of Oct. 25, two couples went to Just-In-Time Recreation “for a fun night of bowling practice.”
It didn’t turn out that way.
In a statement posted on Facebook late Thursday, two women, Kathleen Walker and Stacy Cyr, detailed what they saw that night, including the heroism of the men they loved.
Michael Deslauriers II and Jason Walker, who had been best friends since kindergarten, “died trying to save others,” they wrote, before describing the events they witnessed and what they were told about the surveillance videos possessed by the Maine State Police.
“We were having a great time and were ready to start our third game when the shooter walked in,” they said.
“As we heard the initial shot and looked around to assess what was happening, Jason yelled to us to GET DOWN, GET DOWN!” they said.
Kathleen Walker said she curled up around the ball return of lane 16, the one closest to the alley’s entrance, while Cyr said she took cover under a table.
“We remained there as the shots rang out,” they wrote, “with limited visibility to the events unfolding around us.”
They learned more, they said, when a state police representative told them later that video surveillance “clearly shows that after firing the first shot,” killer Robert Card “experienced a gun jam.”
Nine seconds after Card first appeared in the video, after firing a single shot, Jason Walker “sprung up, went toward the shooter and attempted to kick his gun away” while Deslauriers “advanced toward the shooter from behind,” the two women said.
Unfortunately, Card “was able to clear his jam and proceeded to fatally shoot” both men, they said.
Citing information from the state police, who have yet to give a public account of any details, “this sequence of events happened during the first 16 seconds after the shooter entered the bowling alley,” they said.
After that, Card kept shooting for another 32 seconds, they said, killing and injuring more victims.
“It will never be known just how many lives could have been lost that night had these two brave lifelong friends not found the courage to confront this mentally disturbed man and attempt to disarm him,” Kathleen Walker and Cyr said.
“The critical seconds that Jason and Mike were able to occupy him provided time for others to hide, escape and find safety,” they said. “We could not be prouder of their selfless acts of bravery.”
The women said they haven’t shared the story previously because of a lack of concrete information.
But now, they said, they have “a credible account” of what transpired and “we want to ensure that these men are NOT forgotten for the true HEROES they are and will forever be.”
“We will love and miss them all of our remaining days,” the women said.
After shooting up the bowling alley that night, Card drove to Schemengees Bar & Grille and proceeded to open fire on more innocents. All told, 18 people died at the two venues and at least 13 others were physically injured.
Card shot himself a day and a half later in an empty recycling trailer in Lisbon, where police found his body after a regional manhunt that had several communities locked down for two days.
Authorities have provided little information about what they’ve learned from their investigation in the weeks since.
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