"Mass shooting." Two words heard all too often in the United States.
There were 656 mass shootings in the U.S in 2023. The one in Lewiston, Maine on October 25, 2023 was the year's deadliest — and quite possibly preventable.
For the last year, the newsroom at Maine Public Radio has been on the ground investigating, combing through documents, listening to testimony and interviewing dozens of people.
Over six episodes, Breakdown explores the missed opportunities to prevent the shooting, the role of guns and hunting in Maine’s politics, and the aftermath for shooting victims, some of whom were deaf and hard of hearing.
Breakdown is a new podcast series from Maine Public Radio, the Portland Press Herald, and FRONTLINE PBS.
Audio transcript
HOST: In 2023, there were 656 mass shootings in this country. But the one in Lewiston Maine was the deadliest. And maybe? The most preventable.
SEAN HODGSON: I warned you [expletive] about this and I didn't hold back, not one bit.
HOST: Why wasn’t the gunman stopped despite multiple warnings?
CARA LAMB: None of us should be allowed to say that we did enough in this scenario.
HOST: Why was this so devastating for Maine’s Deaf community?
REGAN THIBODEAU: Their friends and family are Deaf. Their families are Deaf. They use American Sign Language. All they want is equity in communication access.
HOST: Why is the gun lobby in Maine so powerful?
DAVID TRAHAN: There's a culture there that supports gun rights. And politically, it translates into how people vote.
HOST: On October 25th 2023, 18 people were killed in Lewiston Maine.
We breakdown what happened and why.
From Maine Public Radio, the Portland Press Herald and Frontline PBS, a new series…
“Breakdown.” How the lessons of Lewiston might help make us safer.
LEROY WALKER: I still get up every morning and go to bed every night thinking of my son and trying to figure out why would anything like this happen.
KEELA SMITH: "People were like, 'Oh, thank God it's over. And I thought to myself, it is not over. It is so far from over.
CARA LAMB: Who we are will be affected forever, changed forever. It has to be enough to spark some change."
HOST: Breakdown. Subscribe now in Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.