Maine’s deaf community unites to heal in wake of Lewiston shooting

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Today marks two months since a gunman opened fire on a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others. It was the country's deadliest mass shooting this year, and one community was hit especially hard.

  The shooting is believed to be the deadliest for deaf people ever in the U.S.

  Laura Barrón-López looks at how the deaf community in Maine is rebuilding in the wake of tragedy and how the community there is coping with this holiday season.

• Megan Vozella, Widow (through interpreter):

  Our wedding day, our celebration.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Megan and Stephen Vozzella were married on November 12 of last year.

• Megan Vozella (through interpreter):

  He always told me he loved me every day. It didn't matter if we were having an argument or what. He said he loved me. He'd give me a kiss good night.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  But just weeks before what would have been their first wedding anniversary, Stephen was killed by a gunman at Schemengees Bar and Grille, along with seven others.

• Megan Vozella (through interpreter):

  They said: "Steve got shot." And I — I just — I shut down. I was gone. I can't describe any more than that.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Megan says he was a devoted father who loved traveling, camping, and cornhole. He died playing with his cornhole team.

• Megan Vozella (through interpreter):

  That's what he was doing Wednesday nights. You know, sometimes, a lot of deaf people were there at the cornhole tournament just to get together and enjoy time together.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  That Wednesday night of October 25, Stephen was one of four deaf people killed, Stephen Vozzella, Joshua Seal, Billy Brackett, and Bryan MacFarlane, a loss felt acutely throughout Maine's small and tight-knit deaf community.

• Megan Vozella (through interpreter):

  Our friends and our husband's who are gone with him, it's not easy. My friend Liz, I mean, we grew up together. And Josh Seal, I grew up with him. I mean, it's too difficult to talk about, because we both lost our husbands.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Kyle Curtis was Stephen's best friend and cornhole partner. He was at the bar that night and was shot in the arm.

• Kyle Curtis, Shooting Survivor (through interpreter):

  My mind was racing with, where are my friends, and what has happened? And it was a tragic night. It's the worst night I have ever had in my life. And there's nothing that can compare to that.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  What has your recovery been like?

• Kyle Curtis (through interpreter):

  Seeing that we have one another and the support has been very strong, that has helped to be able to get some healing and processing. So, the process has been slow. I know it will take more time, but it is a wonderful, connected family.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Richard Morlock, another survivor, also recalled the shock he felt that night. He didn't realize what was happening until he saw the shooter.

• Richard Morlock, Shooting Survivor (through interpreter):

  And there was this loud boom, and then it continued. There was a second and third strange sound.

  And, after that, I don't know how many more after that, we saw a man start shooting. I was essentially in a corner. So I went to the ground. I dropped and played dead, I mean, and just laid there and tried to just wait it out.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Morlock, Curtis, and a few other survivors from that night often gather at Sliders just down the road. Morlock says he is grateful to have a place to get together and enjoy the game they all love.

• Richard Morlock (through interpreter):

  We cannot give up or let this stop us. We need to stay strong and support one another. You know, it allows us to have fun. If we didn't have this, I think it would be very difficult.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Do you feel as though the deaf community has had enough resources to recover from the mass shooting?

• Richard Morlock (through interpreter):

  So far, I feel like they have had support, but it's going to be a long process to be able to heal. There's going to be counseling that's needed and all of that. So I know they have a long way to go. You know, we can't have any of these resources end.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  The deaf people who survived the shooting here at Schemengees are still trying to rebuild a sense of community. They hope their experience brings attention to needed resources for deaf people everywhere.

  Howard Rosenblum, CEO, National Association of the Deaf: What took place in Maine is just illustrative, one isolated example of what can go wrong anywhere in this country.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Howard Rosenblum is CEO of the National Association of the Deaf. He says the shooting in Lewiston highlighted systemic issues that leave deaf people more vulnerable during and after traumatic events.

• Howard Rosenblum (through interpreter):

  There was no way to access whatever services were being provided. The deaf and hard of hearing community historically have thought long and hard about how we get warnings and information.

  And, often, we're at the end of the communication loop and we are the last to know. Indeed, in the Lewiston shooting, this is another demonstration of the problem rooted in the system itself.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Rosenblum says deaf people are also forgotten in the aftermath of a disaster.

  In Lewiston, interpreters were left out of the initial press briefings and kept out of hospitals in the hours after the shooting.

• Howard Rosenblum (through interpreter):

  The community has been hard at work with law enforcement, clinical hospital staff, governor's offices to get changes moving. And I remain ever hopeful that, even though it's a terrible tragedy, what happened in Maine, that it will lead to better systemwide changes.

• Megan Vozella (through interpreter):

  We're working on it right now. We are really struggling with accessibility, for sure.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  Megan Vozella hopes the deaths of her husband and his friends can bring about lifesaving changes for deaf people in times of crisis.

• Megan Vozella (through interpreter):

  There's nothing we can do about the situation that happened that night. And they're just going to have to fix the system. We don't need to lay blame, but we need to work together and really work to improve it. We need to move on from here.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  But moving on is difficult, especially this time of year. With photos of Stephen everywhere, Megan holds on tight to memories with her husband.

• Megan Vozella (through interpreter):

  He was always asking me to make the cookies every Christmas.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  What are the holidays like now that it's the first year without him?

• Megan Vozella (through interpreter):

  It's been hard. It's the first time setting up the Christmas tree, the one behind me. That's a new one. It was a wedding gift. And I struggled with that. My daughter didn't want to help with it. She didn't really want to have anything to do with it. So I did it alone.

  Very hard, because Steve was always there every year. He loved the Christmas tree and decorating. So, this year, it's not the same at all.

• Laura Barrón-López:

  For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Laura Barrón-López in Maine.