Survivors of the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history, along with family members of the 18 people killed, have been given the opportunity to attend college for free.
The Lewiston Strong Tuition Waiver will cover expenses for more than 80 victims impacted by the shooting rampage on Oct. 25 when demented gunman Robert Card launched an indiscriminate shooting spree at a bar and bowling alley — igniting a tense two-day manhunt for the killer.
“By all accounts, those who were tragically killed were deeply devoted to their families and working hard to provide them a strong future,” Dannel Malloy, the Chancellor of the University of Maine System, said Wednesday in a statement.
“While nothing will bring them back, the University of Maine System believes that the best way we can honor the memories of those taken too soon is to ensure their loved ones can easily access postsecondary education and opportunity.”
“Beyond unimaginable grief, we know there is also overwhelming anxiety about financial and other responsibilities for those directly impacted, especially for those who are suddenly single parents or who were physically injured because of this horrific mass shooting.”
The scholarship fund will cover tuition and fees for spouses and biological, adopted and step-children of those murdered in the massacre, as well as the 31 Maine residents who suffered injuries, to pursue a bachelor’s degree at any of Maine’s seven public universities.
In-state tuition and fees in the UMS average around $10,200 this academic year, officials said.
The UMS also established a public donation fund that will cover other expenses for the survivors beyond their tuition, such as room, board and books.
Most of the 18 people killed in the Lewison mass shooting were young to middle-aged parents.
Maxx Hathaway’s 8-month pregnant wife and one of his two young daughters had just left Schemengees Bar and Grille moments before Card unleashed the violence, killing the 35-year-old stay-at-home father.
Tricia Asselin was remembered by loved ones as a devoted mother whose son was “her entire life.”
After gunning down his unsuspecting victims, Card fled in a vehicle that was later found abandoned on a waterfront in a nearby town, sparking an intense manhunt.
The Army reservist was found two days later inside an unlocked trailer in an overflow parking lot at a recycling plant cops had already combed through twice before.
Card suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound, which medical examiners ruled was “likely” administered eight to 12 hours before his body was discovered.
The maniac’s motive continues to remain a mystery, though officials are probing Card’s extensive history of mental health issues.
Card had been known to law enforcement for months as family members and others became increasingly worried about his mental state.