Two men who died trying to stop the man responsible for the mass shooting in Lewiston in 2023 are being awarded the Carnegie Medal for heroism.
Jason Walker and Michael Deslauriers II of Sabattus were bowling together along with their partners at Just In Time Recreation when the shooter entered the bowling alley, shot an employee at the counter and started walking toward a set of crowded bowling lanes. Both men then ran at the shooter.
When his gun jammed, Walker tried to kick it away. Deslauriers then rushed the assailant in an attempt to grab the gun. Both men were shot several times.
The two are credited with saving lives by giving others in the bowling alley time to flee.
Walker and Deslauriers are among 18 people from the U.S. and Canada being honored by the Carnegie Hero Commission for taking extraordinary risk to save others. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission describes the medal as the highest civilian honor for heroism in North America.
Commission spokesperson Jewels Phraner says each case is thoroughly and independently investigated. She calls the actions of the two friends at the bowling alley "the personification of hope in action."
"They were so humble," says Kathleen Walker, Jason's widow, in an email. "They would never have looked for any recognition and would have dismissed their actions as 'what anyone would have or should have done.'"
Walker says it's important to her that the world know how two middle-aged best friends acted bravely and selflessly so that others could live.
"I don’t want anyone to take that sacrifice for granted," she says. "They need to LIVE their life and not just exist in it because that is the opportunity that was made possible in the eleven seconds they were given to take cover and escape."
The two men are very missed and very loved, Walker says.
