A Maine bowling alley where an Army reservist gunned down eight people — before traveling to a nearby bar and killing 10 patrons there — will reopen its doors on Friday.
Just-in-Time Recreation is set to open at 10 a.m., with a “celebration of resilience and community spirit” scheduled for 3 p.m., WMUR reported. Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, is among those planning to speak at the event Friday afternoon.
When patrons arrive at the popular spot in Lewiston, they’ll see tributes, including a table featuring pictures of the eight who died at Just-In-Time, and bowling pins with the names of the 18 shooting victims from both venues. Its complete makeover also includes new floors, a new scoring system and brightly painted walls and décor.
The owners, Justin and Samantha Juray, initially struggled over whether to reopen their bowling alley after the mass shooting unfolded some six months ago.
“I had some guilt,” Justin Juray told NBC News. “I couldn’t see myself inviting or asking people to come back in here if I couldn’t keep them safe the first time.”
Samantha agreed, then added: “I think if we don’t move forward — not that there was a point to this whole thing anyway — but we’re just going to allow the people that have taken so much from us win.”
Kathy Lebel, who owns the second business hit by the gunman, Schemengees Bar & Grille, also hopes to reopen, but at a different venue, she said.
On Oct. 25, 2023, Robert Card burst into Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston and opened fire. He killed seven people at the bowling alley, and an eighth died at the hospital.
Card then made his way to Schemengees Bar & Grille a few miles away. Responding officers found eight people dead at the popular watering hole, four of whom were deaf and had been participating in a cornhole tournament for the deaf community when the gunfire erupted. Another two victims from the bar died from their injuries at area hospitals.
Thirteen people were wounded but survived.
Card, a petroleum specialist for the U.S. Army Reserves and certified firearms specialist, was found dead days later inside a Lisbon recycling plant where he previously worked. Police said he suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
With News Wire Services
