Lewiston police investigate another shooting involving juvenile suspects

LEWISTON, Maine —

Since the beginning of 2024, there have been more than 20 shootings or reports of shots fired in Lewiston, according to Lewiston police. The agency also said the majority of those shootings involved teens or young adults.

The most recent incident occurred last Friday, when gunfire erupted at Mike McGraw Park, turning a planned community event into a panic situation. The only remaining evidence of what was intended to be a celebration were the popped balloons left on the concrete.

Before the incident, everything was going well and according to plan at the Maine Immigration Refugee Services’ annual Family Fun Day.

“It was fun,” said managing director Rilwan Osman. “This year we had bouncy castles to play on.”

Osman described the event as a sort of end-of-summer party where children can enjoy summer activities and prepare for the school year with free materials.

“We were just minutes away from distributing the backpacks,” Osman said, staring at dozens of boxes filled with everything from backpacks to pencil cases.

Hundreds of parents and children were at the event when two shots rang out from a distance. Osman said it was horrific for everyone and he immediately called off the event, but he said a surplus of unclaimed school supplies was not his only problem.

“The recent incidents have certainly been frightening,” Osman said.

He spoke of incidents in the plural, because this was not the first. And he is not the only one in the community concerned about a pattern they say they are observing.

“The main problem is that violent crime among youth and young adults appears to be increasing,” said City Councilman Joshua Nagine, who represents District 1 in Lewiston.

According to Lewiston police, Nagine is right. He believes this dangerous shift is due to two recent developments.

“This is because youth and young adults in our community have both access to firearms and a willingness to use them,” Nagine claimed.

He said change would require cultural and legal change, namely less cultural acceptance of guns and harsher penalties for firearms-related crimes.

“The first part is recognizing that youth gun violence is a problem in our community, and the second part is saying, 'We will not tolerate this,'” he said. “Everyone is part of a solution in this process.”

Nagine said the solution must start with better communication between councils, schools and the police, but he said it must also involve the whole of society. This includes organisations like MEIRS, which Osman said are keen to be part of the solution.

“We are trying to provide more programs and more structured services for the youth and also for the parents so they can support their children at home,” Osman said.

City councilors have scheduled a special meeting with Lewiston police next Tuesday to discuss better ways to combat the rise in youth violence.