Current:Home > StocksMaine city councilor's son died trying to stop mass shooting suspect with a butcher knife, father says -FutureWise Finance
Maine city councilor's son died trying to stop mass shooting suspect with a butcher knife, father says
View
Date:2025-04-11 18:46:16
On Wednesday night, a gunman entered Schemengees Bar and Grill in Lewiston, Maine, as many were gathered to drink, eat and have fun with their friends. The suspected shooter, who has been identified but yet to be found, ended up killing at least eight people at the bar – including a man who tried to stop the gunman with a butcher knife, according to his father.
Joseph Walker was a manager at Schemengees. According to a verified GoFundMe set up by his daughter and wife, he had been there on Wednesday "to play cornhole with friends and family." And when the gunman entered the facility, his father, Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker, said his son didn't hesitate to attempt to stop him.
"He picked up a butcher knife and went after the gunman to try and stop from killing other people," Leroy Walker told CBS News Boston. "And that's when he shot my son to death."
The owners of Schemengees wrote on the Facebook of their second business, nearby Station Grill Restaurant, that Walker had made his way into Schemengees' kitchen when the attack began.
"This man would give the shirt off his back to help a total stranger. But last night he gave up more than that, he gave up his life. ... There is a door that he could have exited and saved his own life but not Joe," they wrote on Facebook. "He grabbed a knife and went back out into danger to try and stop the shooter."
The owners said they were upset, "but not surprised" by his actions.
"I can ask myself 100 times. Why not leave Joe. Please take the door and you would be here," they wrote. "Joe would tell me that he would have to stop the shooter. That's Joseph Walker, the man that I know. Putting everyone first. He will alway be our hero. Rest in peace my friend. You will be missed. We will love you forever."
Schemengees customers seemed to have their own heroic stories of Joseph Walker. Just two weekends ago, one person commented, they overheard him offering a customer "anything on the menu" after he learned they were going through a difficult time.
Many described him as someone who was consistently smiling and made them laugh. When he found out another patron lost her boyfriend in what she says was a "freak accident," she commented on the post that he "gave me a big hug" and checked on her every Sunday to make sure she was OK.
And it wasn't just his employer and customers who considered Joseph Walker a hero.
"Unfortunately Joe did not make it, but know he went being a hero trying to protect his patrons," his wife, Tracey Walker, wrote on Facebook. "I will forever hold him close to my heart. ... this man changed my life for the better and would do anything for me his kids and grandchildren."
Joseph's father told CBS affiliate WGME that he "was a great son" who "did a lot of good things for a lot of good people." He said he didn't know what Joseph's condition was for nearly 14 hours, and learned of his death around noon on Thursday. Joseph was one of eight people who died at Schemengees and one of at least 18 people killed when the suspected gunman entered the bar and a nearby bowling alley. At least 13 others were injured, officials said on Thursday.
"I know if my son were here with me, he would say that he's sorry for all the others that were lost," Leroy Walker told WGME. "The families that are going through what I'm going through right now."
- In:
- Shooting
- Mass Shooting
- Maine
- Maine News
Li Cohen is a social media producer and trending content writer for CBS News.
veryGood! (94)
Related
- Buckingham Palace staff under investigation for 'bar brawl'
- Kristin Cavallari Debuts New Romance With Mark Estes
- Powerball winning numbers for Feb. 26, 2024 drawing: Jackpot rises to over $400 million
- Moon landing goes sideways: Odysseus mission will be cut short after craft tipped over
- Sam Taylor
- Anne Hathaway Revives Her Devil Wears Prada Bangs With New Hair Transformation
- Thomas Kingston, Husband of Lady Gabriella Windsor and Pippa Middleton’s Ex, Dead at 45
- New York Democrats propose new congressional lines after rejecting bipartisan commission boundaries
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Republican Mississippi governor ignores Medicaid expansion and focuses on jobs in State of the State
Ranking
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- Why Macy's is closing 150 department stores
- Could IVF access be protected nationally? One senator has a plan
- Tax refunds are higher so far this year, the IRS says. Here's the average refund amount.
- Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
- Stock market today: Asian shares mixed after Wall St edges back from recent highs
- Body found in truck is man who drove off Alabama boat ramp in 2013
- Monty Williams rips officials after 'worst call of season' costs Detroit Pistons; ref admits fault
Recommendation
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Lawsuit claims isolation and abuse at Wyoming Boys School
Dan + Shay sass Reba McEntire during 'The Voice' premiere: 'Don't let her sweet talk you'
The Daily Money: Let them eat cereal?
Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
Prince William Misses Godfather's Memorial Service Due to Personal Matter
Miranda Kerr Gives Birth to Baby No. 4, Her 3rd With Evan Spiegel
Toyota recalling 381,000 Tacoma pickups because parts can fall off rear axles, increasing crash risk