Five months after the mass shooting that left 18 dead at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, the alley is almost ready to reopen, NBC affiliate News Center Maine reported.
Just-In-Time Recreation has been closed since October 25, 2023, when Robert Card Jr. entered the building and opened fire, killing seven and injuring several others in what would become the deadliest U.S. mass shooting of 2023 and the deadliest in Maine history.
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Owners Justin and Samantha Juray, who were at the bowling alley the night of the shooting, have spent the months following the incident working to revive the business and recover from the trauma they experienced.
"We still have our moments. We'll never forget. Loud noises still scare us. We look for exits when we go into every place that we go into," Justin Juray, who was bowling with his father at the time of the shooting, told News Center Maine. "Nothing will ever change what happened, and we can't go backwards, but we can move forward."
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In an attempt to move forward, the Jurays reinvented the space with updated flooring, computer systems and ball returns.
They've also worked to find a balance between implementing new safety measures, like security cameras and a new door, and maintaining the family-friendly atmosphere they seek to promote.
“We are trying. But other than metal detectors and an armed guard, I mean, how do we stop that? That's letting our freedoms go at that point,” Justin Juray, who was bowling with his father the night of the shooting, told News Center Maine. “That's not welcoming. Who feels good about seeing an armed guard at the door of a bowling center, a family-fun center? That's not Maine, not America. That's not normal.”
The couple said they're hoping to welcome guests back to the lanes this spring and thank the community that has supported them over the last few months.
“We couldn't have done this without all the help that we've gotten,” Justin Juray said. “[Our community] carried us through. I can't wait to open."
