Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker stood in Anniversary Park on Sunday, hugging trick-or-treaters and passing out candy to the city’s young residents.
His son, Joseph Lawrence Walker, was among the 18 people killed in two shootings that shook the city of Lewiston Wednesday night. The alleged gunman in the mass shootings, Robert R. Card II, 40, of nearby Bowdoin opened fire at a bowling alley and bar, leaving another 13 people injured.
Leroy Walker, 74, has acted as the family’s spokesperson, sharing with Maine and national news outlets the story of how his 57-year-old son attempted to stop the gunman with a butcher knife but was met with two gunshots in the stomach, which killed him. He has shed many tears and been vulnerable before America.
But life must go on.
During a break from Sunday’s festivities, Leroy Walker reminisced about the years of work it took to transform Anniversary Park, pointing to the restored St. Louis Church bells that chime every hour and how trick-or-treating has become much safer in the park as opposed to walking the streets of New Auburn.
He is proud to be part of a hard-working, loving community, and he is proud to have raised his son here, he told the Bangor Daily News.
The mass shooting in Lewiston, the nation’s deadliest this year, and a frantic manhunt for the suspect gripped Maine with fear for three days. After the gunman was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound Friday night, many were able to breathe easier. Still, the recovery is likely to be long and painful.
For Leroy Walker, healing looks like showing up for his community, even if it means fighting through intense waves of grief. It is gatherings like the one held Sunday in Auburn, Lewiston’s neighboring city, that allow a community to make sense of what happened and slowly become whole again.
His son would have wanted this day, meant to be a joyous event for the city’s children, to go on, Leroy Walker said.
“We can’t stop doing things like this,” he said. “If my son was here with me, we would be side-by-side, talking to all these people. Of course, today he is not with me, but I hope he’s looking down.”
The last few days have been a nightmare, he said. Walker has not slept since the shootings, and his heart aches for his son, who was a manager at Schemengees Bar and Grille, where he was killed.
Joseph Walker’s children are old enough to process what has happened, and losing their father has been tough, Leroy Walker said. They hear and see just as adults, especially when it hits the news. Joseph Walker’s wife, Tracey, has mostly avoided speaking to the media because she is mourning, and even basic tasks like driving can be overwhelming, Leroy Walker said.
“The heart doesn’t stop bleeding,” he said. “It just doesn’t stop. The tears slow down because you do it [cry] so much, and after a while they’re just not there to come out anymore.”
Grieving his son’s death has exhausted Walker, but staying busy helps, so the councilor, who has represented Auburn’s Ward 5 since 2011, showed up to celebrate Halloween. The get-together is what Auburn is all about, and he loves doing his part.
In the aftermath of the shootings, stories about Joseph Walker have “kept my son alive,” he said.
Leroy Walker acknowledged that loved ones of the 17 other victims are also hurting, and they should not be left out of the conversation.
He is lucky to be actively involved with his city, always busy with council duties, and not everyone has such a distraction. Walker oversaw Auburn’s parks and recreation department for 39 years.
There were moments Sunday when people told him they were sorry for his loss, and he bravely held back tears.
“I don’t want to spoil it for the little ones,” he said. “I want to do the best I can do to carry my son’s name on. That’s why I’m here. It’s not about me at all. It’s about my son, Joe.”