Lewiston shooting survivors, struggling with financial losses, say they feel forgotten - Anlık Haber

More than a year after the deadly mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, that left 18 people dead and dozens of others injured, survivors and families of those killed say they are struggling financially and feel forgotten by the state.

As NEWS CENTER Maine reports, many survivors are left with mounting medical bills. Some became unable to work due to their injuries. Some of the families of those killed lost their only source of income. Medical treatments and counseling costs are adding up.

“I was shot five times,” explained Benjamin Dyer, who was permanently disabled by his injuries on Oct. 25, 2023. I lost my bicep and my triceps and my right arm completely. I lost my right index finger. I’ve lost the use of my hand for now. I was shot through the shoulder. Shot through the leg twice.”

Some families say despite an initial outpouring of support in the wake of the tragedy, as time goes on the state and nonprofits have not done enough to help.

“We’ve been forgotten, and people are trying to figure out why,” Dyer said.

After the shooting the Maine Community Foundation (MCF) organized a donation fund, raising $4.7 million for the families of the 18 people who were killed and for the survivors. They also raised another $1.9 million for 29 Maine organizations and nonprofits. Each of those 29 nonprofits received nearly $66,000 from the fund that was created in response to the mass shooting, NEWS CENTER Maine reports.

Dyer told the station he was unaware so much money went to the nonprofits, and he’d like to see more of it go toward the long-term support of families.

“Seeing a number as large as it was when you take into consideration how much each nonprofit got… why couldn’t you have taken half of that money and given it to the survivors and their families,” Dyer said. “There are families out there struggling who have lost their loved ones and are trying to make money, but everyone has stopped caring. But you’ll still take our likeness and try to make money.”

MCF said the specific amounts survivors received were not disclosed to protect their privacy. MCF’s VP of Communications and Marketing Tom Janenda noted that the money that was given to families was not meant to provide ongoing support services.

“These were distributions of one-time philanthropic donations meant to help in the midst and aftermath of a tragedy,” she wrote. “They were not intended to replace ongoing care and services people would need through the health care and other community support systems.”

Some of the money did go to Community Concepts, which created the Maine Resiliency Center, designed to support those affected by the Lewiston shooting.

Kelsay Helm said, whose brother Maxx Hathaway was killed in the mass shooting, said she didn’t think nonprofits should have gotten any money. She went on to say some of those nonprofits had no connection to those who were killed or the survivors. She also feels the state should do more.

“The ball dropped with Robert Card, and the ball is dropping in the aftermath,” Helm said. “I just don’t know why they can’t sit down as a government party and be like ‘all these people got affected. Their medical bills are coming in. Some people had to quit their jobs. As Maine, we should be covering this,’” Helm said.

Scott Ogden, a spokesperson for Gov. Janet Mills‘ office, told NEWS CENTER Maine that the “Maine Mass Violence Care Fund” fund was approved last year with a value of $5 million dollars. That money is meant to cover out-of-pocket expenses for families and survivors, but the funding won’t be available until October 2026 – three years after the shooting.

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