Vigil held for mass shooting victims and loved ones in Lewiston

Thousands, including Maine Gov. Janet Mills, gathered for a vigil Sunday night at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston to honor the victims of last week's mass shootings.

The OneLewiston community vigil will start at 6 p.m. and will be followed by a reception afterward. You can watch it above.

“We cannot let Lewiston be remembered for violence. This city instead will be known for its strength and for the love it has shown one another and for the comfort it will share in dark times," Lewiston native and NESN Red Sox commentator Tom Caron said in the opening for the event.

His introduction was followed by a reading of the names by Rev. Sarah Gillespie.

Before the ceremony began, community members spoke with NBC10 Boston outside, offering their thoughts as the community shared in its collective grief.

“My friend was Tricia Asselin. I knew her really well, and I just wanted to come to be amongst everybody and hope the healing can begin," Lewiston resident Bob Tibbetts said. "She was awesome. She’s literally the person who would give you the shirt off her back.”

"It’s just very sad and just here to support the families and our friends," Laura Peterson said.

The Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is located at 122 Ash St. in Lewiston.

"We can collectively mourn, grieve, and celebrate the memories of the victims, stand in solidarity with their grieving families, and express our deep gratitude to the brave first responders who rushed to their aid" said the announcement from the city of Lewiston.

This was the second major vigil scheduled to help the community heal. The first vigil was held Saturday evening at the Worumbo Waterfall in Lisbon, where candles were glowing under a moonlit sky as several hundred grieved together.

“Just want to support my family. That’s how Maine is. It’s one big family," a woman attending the vigil said.

It's a family that came together for a candlelit vigil to start the long healing process -- some leaving their homes for the first time in days.

"It’s been just a horrific last two-three days for everybody,” another woman said. “Terrifying. Been locked in our homes and not been able to get out and visit with family and be with them. It’s just been very scary.”

As names of the fallen were read aloud Saturday night, many locals were thinking of their own personal ties to those affected by the mass shootings.

Retired teacher Greg Quinlan said one of his former students is in the hospital with four gunshot wounds, fighting for his life.

Police Chief Ryan McGee said it's been a flow of emotions.

"We went from it was game time and we needed to find him and every resource and we didn’t stop. Nobody wanted to go home,” McGee said of the manhunt for the shooter.

Now, Mainers are breathing a collective sigh of relief, though it's tinged with sadness.

“There’s people sitting on their porches. There’s people walking their dogs. People are giving me thumbs up. They’re waving,” McGee said.

There's no timetable set for healing, but the community will stand together.

“Now's the time and our whole city is lighting up. Right now, there's candles, there's Christmas lights, there's porch lights. I'm sorry-- the city of Lewiston is lighting up for the city of Lewiston. We are one community, and we care very deeply about each other. I'm just relieved that this part is over," Lewiston City Councilor Linda Scott said.

So while there is some sense of relief in Lewiston, families still have a lot of unanswered questions, including around what the man wrote in the note he left behind before taking 18 lives, and then his own.