BATH, Maine — An emergency "shelter in place" was sent out to the city of Bath early yesterday morning. Less than a day later, we have since learned the advisory was issued because a woman and her adult daughter were killed in their home, according to Maine State Police.
In a matter of hours, the community went from fear and concern to grief.
"She was one of my good friends," Rachel McCray said about Jennifer Bailey.
McCray lived down the street from Bailey, who became one of her only friends in grade school. More than a decade later, she still thinks of Bailey fondly.
"Every time you would see them, they always had the biggest smiles," McCray said.
Jennifer and her mother, Lisa Bailey, were the two women shot and killed at their home Sunday. It's an outcome community members like McCray are still struggling to accept.
"Why them? They were the nicest people," McCray said. "I mean, I understand divorce, but I don't understand: Why kill them?"
Maine State Police suspect the shooter was Michael Bailey, Lisa's husband and Jennifer's father. They also shared that Michael Bailey died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"The victims were our relatives, our friends, our neighbors," Bath City Manager Marc Meyers said.
Meyers said he's hoping the tragedy will encourage more people to speak out against their abusers.
"Gun violence is a rare occurrence in Bath, but unfortunately domestic calls are not," he said.
Rebekah Paredes, executive director for New Hope Midcoast, said incidents like this escalate community awareness about domestic violence.
"There's a heightened awareness of these concerns when circumstances like this tragedy happen," Parades said. "It's important we are vocal and are out there and available to folks."
Paredes said resources are available statewide, but her organization serves the midcoast area.
"We offer a 24/7 helpline, which is here to support any survivors or concerned others and offer assistance to them at any point in their journey," she explained.
Parades joins others in the community hoping survivors will use these organizations to find help before it's too late.
"I think there's a lot of help out there, and I know this has been ongoing for quite a while," McCray shared. "The biggest problem is people don't want to ask for the help."