LEWSITON (WGME) — Families of Lewiston mass shooting victims and those who survived the tragedy held a press conference Wednesday before the three-year mark of the event.
Eighteen people were killed, and many more were injured, during the mass shootings at Just-in-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar & Grille on October 25, 2023.
Now, some families of victims and survivors are asking questions about how millions of dollars donated after the mass shooting in Lewiston were distributed.
In total, the Maine Community Foundation raised nearly $7 million in the weeks after the shooting.
Families of Lewiston mass shooting victims and those who survived the tragedy held a press conference Wednesday before the three-year mark of the event. (WGME)
Those funds were divided. The majority, $4.7 million, went to 162 victims and families who lost loved ones, and around $2 million went to local nonprofits for community recovery efforts.
Some survivors and their families claim they were told 100% of donated money would go to victims and families, and they say they were not told about the nonprofits.
Jennifer Zanca, who was shot twice that night, believes none of the money should have gone to nonprofits.
“This distribution of funds is not right. We can do better than this. This is not left or right, it’s about right and wrong and this is wrong,” Zanca said.
Last month, Maine’s Attorney General went before the Government Oversight Committee to address calls for an investigation.
The AG says neither his office nor OPEGA has the jurisdiction to evaluate what happened with those donations because they were private, not public dollars.
Attorney General Aaron Frey says his office exhausted its resources looking into these concerns but ultimately, he says they found his office lacks jurisdiction.
The Maine Community Foundation stands by the way the funds were handled and distributed.
The foundation claims they were transparent about where the money would go and when it was donated.
The Maine recovery fund reported that its grants provided vital lifelines following the tragedy, funding emergency mental health care for children, essential supplies for grieving families, and safe childcare while local schools were locked down.
Yet, for some who lived through the tragedy, the relief falls short.
“True accountability means no other family or individual will have to get up off their knees from grief and suffering to fight for what is right,” Amy Sussman, whose nephew died in the shooting, said.
This all comes ahead of the three year mark of the tragedy, October 25.
