‘It rips you apart’: Father of Lewiston victim said son tried to stop alleged gunman
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
18 dead in mass shooting LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: A woman hugs a law enforcement official as they investigate outside the site of a mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the shooting, Robert Card, who allegedly killed 18 people in two separate locations on Wednesday night. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
ByNatalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
LEWISTON, Maine — The father of one of the victims of this week’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, said his son tried to stop the alleged gunman, and that Joe Walker died a hero.
Leroy Walker said his son, who was a manager at Schemengees Bar & Grille and was working at the time suspected gunman Robert Card walked in and opened fire, Boston25News reported.
Joe Walker grabbed a butcher knife from behind the bar and attacked Card, trying to defend himself.
“He tried to go at the gunman to stop him from shooting anybody else. The gunman shot him twice through the stomach,” Leroy Walker told NBC News. He said knowing the exact circumstances of how his son died made his pain worse.
It took 14 hours to find out that his son was one of the victims, Leroy Walker told MSNBC. He was first told that something had happened to Joe Walker when Leroy’s youngest son called him.
“I almost fell to my knees,” Leroy Walker told MSNBC through tears. “I said, ‘Don’t tell me that.’”
The elder Walker said he hasn’t been able to sleep since the shooting.
“It comes and goes. I can sit over there with my family…and I can feel pretty good. Then five minutes later, it hits you again,” he told our sister station, fighting back tears. “It just rips you apart.”
'IT JUST RIPS YOU APART:' Leroy Walker, a city councilor in Auburn, Maine, found out his son, Joe Walker was one of 18 people killed when gunman Robert Card opened fire at Schemengees Bar & Grille.
“We did a lot of praying, a lot of crying all night, and off and on all day. When you read some of the things that are written, it breaks your heart even more,” Leroy Walker said. “It kind of wakes you up to the point where you know you’ve lost him and you know you’re going to miss him forever.”
Joe Walker leaves behind a wife, two grandchildren and a stepson, his father told MSNBC.
“Joe was a great, great son, a loving husband. He had two grandchildren and a stepson... thousands of people loved him,” Leroy Walker said. “What are we gonna do tomorrow, the next day? How are we gonna handle this?”
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Lewiston shootings Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings A sign advises residents to stay home, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, following a mass shooting at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. Police continue to search for the suspect. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings This photo released by the Lewiston Maine Police Department shows Robert Card, who police have identified as a person of interest in connection to mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. ( Lewiston Maine Police Department via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Maine State Police ordered residents in the state's second-largest city to shelter in place Wednesday night as the suspect remains at large. (Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Maine State Police ordered residents in the state's second-largest city to shelter in place Wednesday night as the suspect remains at large. (Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Maine State Police ordered residents in the state's second-largest city to shelter in place Wednesday night as the suspect remains at large. (Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings This photo released by the Lewiston, Maine, Police Department on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, shows a vehicle police are seeking information on in connection to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine. (Lewiston Maine Police Department via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings A law enforcement officer carries a rifle outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings Law enforcement officers carry rifles outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings People depart an emergency department entrance at Central Maine Medical Center, past a member of security, behind right, during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings People stand outside a reunification center early Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at Auburn Middle School in Auburn, Maine, after shootings Wednesday at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings People depart a reunification center early Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings A woman is hugged by a man at a reunification center at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP) (Derek Davis/AP)
Lewiston shootings Law enforcement gather outside Schemengee's Bar and Grille, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Residents have been ordered to shelter in place as police continue to search for the suspect of Wednesday's mass shooting at the bar. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings Law enforcement officers carry rifles outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings A member of security, center right, stands at an emergency department entrance at Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings A sign signals the public to shelter in place during an active shooter situation on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP) (Derek Davis/AP)
Lewiston shootings A police officer walks along a rural road during a manhunt for the suspect of Wednesday's mass shootings, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lisbon, Maine. The shootings took place at a restaurant and bowling alley in nearby Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: A police officer blocks access to the road to Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: A police officer blocks access to the road to Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: The side of Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: Law enforcement officials investigate outside the Schemengees Bar and Grille on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: A police officer blocks access to the road to Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings Three vehicles transport the victims killed at Schemengees Bar and Grille, on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The restaurant was the site of one of the two mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: Maine Governor Janet Mills speaks during a press conference about the mass shooting on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the shooting, Robert Card, who allegedly killed 18 people in two separate locations. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: Jodie Cohen, Special Agent in charge of the FBI's Boston branch, gives an update during a press conference about the mass shooting on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the shooting, Robert Card, who allegedly killed 18 people in two separate locations on Wednesday night. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
