Son and Father Reflect on Maine Man’s Final Heroic Act in Lewiston

The entire incident still feels unreal, especially the fact that it happened here in Maine, because, as one Portland, Maine, man anonymously said:

It's a weird time for this state. This just doesn't happen.

Lewiston, Maine, Mass Shooting

Unfortunately, it did, on Wednesday night, October 25, in what has now officially been considered the deadliest mass shooting this year. Robert Card is accused of opening fire twice in Lewiston and killing 18 people and injuring more; first at Just-In-Time Recreation, followed by Schemengees Bar and Grille.

What came next in the hours after the shooting, aside from a manhunt to locate the whereabouts of Robert Card, which, as of this writing, is still ongoing, was panic and confusion, as family members desperately tried to contact each other and reunite.

While some of those reunions were successful, others were not, and unfortunately, some of our Maine neighbors had their families changed forever.

Schemengees Manager Joseph Walker

One of those families is that of Joseph Walker.

Joseph was the manager of Schemengees Bar and Grille and was working on Wednesday night when the shooter entered the bar and immediately opened fire.

That is also the exact moment that Joseph, without hesitation, according to CBS 13, attempted to subdue the shooter but was unable to. The news station reported that he was shot twice and killed.

The last, heroic act of Joseph Walker's life was that of trying to save the lives of everyone inside the bar that night.

And, according to a post by his son, Brandon Welch, on Facebook, that's just who Joseph was.

He grabbed a chef knife and tried to go after the shooter. They said he could've saved himself if he went out the back door but that's not the man he is. He wanted to save everyone.

Joseph's father, Leroy Walker, echoed the sentiments of his grandson, calling Joseph "a great son" and telling CBS 13 that his son "tried to save some more lives, and he ended up losing life."

Leroy also did his best to describe to David Muir of ABC World News Tonight the feeling of losing his selfless, heroic son in such a tragic situation. (Start the below video at 8:06 if it doesn't automatically.)

Our hearts go out to not just Joseph Walker's family, but all the families shattered and affected by the horrible events in Lewiston on Wednesday night.