Current:Home > Contact-usMaine city councilor's son died trying to stop mass shooting suspect with a butcher knife, father says-LoTradeCoin
Maine city councilor's son died trying to stop mass shooting suspect with a butcher knife, father says
View Date:2024-12-24 00:18:39
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! (35527)
Related
- 'We suffered great damage': Fierce California wildfire burns homes, businesses
- GM fined nearly $146 million for excess emissions from 5.9 million vehicles
- 2 horses ran onto a Los Angeles freeway and were struck, killed by passing vehicles
- 2 horses ran onto a Los Angeles freeway and were struck, killed by passing vehicles
- Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio charged with operating vehicle while intoxicated
- Early Amazon Prime Day Deals 2024: Shop the Best Travel Deals for Easy Breezy Trips
- Abortion on the ballot: Amarillo set to vote on abortion travel ban this election
- The Daily Money: Investors divided on Trump vs Biden
- Bodyless head washes ashore on a South Florida beach
- The dinosaurs died. And then came one of humanity's favorite fruits.
Ranking
- Threat closes Spokane City Hall and cancels council meeting in Washington state
- Tom Hanks’ Son Chet Hanks Clarifies Intentions of “White Boy Summer”
- Bob Menendez's defense rests without New Jersey senator testifying in bribery trial
- 9 killed in overnight strike in Gaza's Khan Younis, hours after Israel ordered mass evacuation
- Messi breaks silence on Inter Miami's playoff exit. What's next for his time in the US?
- Trump or Biden? Investors are anxious about the 2024 election. Here's how to prepare
- 30th annual Essence Festival of Culture kicks off in New Orleans
- Hurricane Beryl severely damages or destroys 90% of homes on Union Island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, prime minister says
Recommendation
-
Army veteran reunites with his K9 companion, who served with him in Afghanistan
-
Maryland OKs $50.3M contract for removal of bridge collapse debris
-
Why was it a surprise? Biden’s debate problems leave some wondering if the press missed the story
-
Many tattoo ink and permanent makeup products contaminated with bacteria, FDA finds
-
Texas’ 90,000 DACA recipients can sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage — for now
-
Nathan’s Famous Independence Day hot dog contest set for NYC — minus its usual muncher
-
Parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue to buy rival Neiman Marcus for $2.65 billion,
-
British nurse Lucy Letby, convicted of killing 7 babies, found guilty of another attempted murder