LEWISTON, MAINE: The recent mass shooting in Lewiston has affected Maine's deaf community especially hard, as a reputed ASL interpreter hailing from the state is confirmed to be among the 18 reported dead.
Joshua Alfred Seal was shot and killed inside Schemengees Bar in Lewiston, Wednesday afternoon, by a man, whom police suspect to be 40-year-old Robert Card. The bar was hosting a community event for members of the deaf community when the gunman opened fire.
In total, 18 people were killed and 13 others were wounded, per CBS. Seven people died at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, and eight people died at Schemengees Bar. Three others died at the hospital, according to authorities.
Tricia Asselin, Bill Brackett, Tommy Conrad, Peyton Brewer Ross, Arthur Strout, Bob Violette, Steven Vozzella, and Joseph Walker have also been identified as victims. The names of the other killed were not immediately available.
Joshua Alfred Seal spread awareness on the importance of learning sign language
Joshua Seal had been taking part in a cornhole tournament for deaf athletes at the aforementioned bar when he was killed, according to his wife, who spoke with WGME.
Joshua Seal was a husband, a father of four, and a tireless advocate for the deaf community.
His Facebook page was filled with calls for interpreters and spreading awareness about the importance of learning sign language.
At the time of his death, he served as the Director of Interpreting Services for Pine Tree Society.
Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, Seal was widely known across the state as the ASL interpreter for Dr. Nirav Shah's pandemic briefings.
At the time, Shah served as the director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and held regular briefings alongside Seal.
It's a very connected group of people, and we have now learned members of that community were among those gunned down, read a news report from WGME.
"The ripple effects of his loss will be felt by countless Maine people. Pine Tree Society offices will remain closed Friday, October 27 as we mourn and honor our friend and colleague, Josh," according to a statement from Pine Tree Society.
Regan Thibideau, a prominent interpreter in Maine and the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf’s Executive Director said, “We are a community, a tightknit community, wanting to protect and support one another, and it’s devastating to know that we have lost some of our most valued, most cared for and cherished individuals within our community,”
She spoke with WGME and said that it’s so important for an interpreter to be involved any time there’s an emergency, especially now when people are looking for information about their loved ones.
“We want to ask interpreters to provide access,” Thibodeau said. “It’s sad when people overlook the deaf community because they’re not feeling that ASL should be equal access to what we’re seeing, people accessing information through English and listening.”
She also said that they lost four cherished community members during the Lewiston shootings, adding that the lives of those lost will never be forgotten.
Search for Robert Card continues
Two days separated from Wednesday's tragic shooting, the manhunt goes on for the perpetrator Robert Card, who has eluded police for more than 24 hours.
The search for Card has captured national attention, stretching across Maine and into neighboring states.
The US Coast Guard said they are aiding in the search, confirming they are looking at the state's waterways, including the Kennebec River.
Investigators have searched Card's home in Bowdoin, saying they found a suicide note to his son.
However, sources have declined to describe the content of that note or its relevance to the investigation, at this time, according to a report from WMTW.
