![“We couldn't have done this without all the help that we've gotten,” Justin Juray said. “[Our community] carried us through. I can't wait to open."](https://media.newscentermaine.com/assets/NCM/images/baac6349-35cd-4abf-a4a8-983f94a7a7c9/baac6349-35cd-4abf-a4a8-983f94a7a7c9_1920x1080.jpg)
LEWISTON, Maine — It has been nearly five months since anyone has bowled a single frame at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston.
The business has been closed since Oct. 25, 2023, when a single gunman, Robert Card Jr., entered the building and shot and killed seven people. An eighth person would later die from their injuries in the hospital.
Ten others were killed by Card that night, bringing the total to 18 lives lost, marking it as the deadliest shooting in the U.S. of 2023 and the deadliest in Maine's history.
Just-In-Time owners Justin and Samantha Juray were at the alley that night. Samantha was working. Justin was bowling with his father. Both are still learning how to navigate the trauma they experienced.
“I needed help, and I'm thankful to have the help, because I don't know that I'd even be here without it,” Justin Juray said. “Sleep was major. That was a major hurdle to get over to be able to function every day and to get out of my own head.”
In the weeks since the mass shooting, the Juray’s have been working to repair and renovate their small business. They’ve laid new flooring, upgraded their entertainment system, and replaced ball returns damaged by bullets.
“We have eight angels watching and guiding us along the way. Every day, we talk to them,” Justin Juray said. “They're cheering for us. They’re our biggest cheerleaders, that's for sure.”
Other changes, like security cameras and a new door, are being added. The couple said they are doing what they can to make people feel safe, but it’s a balancing act.
“We are trying. But other than metal detectors and an armed guard, I mean, how do we stop that? That's letting our freedoms go at that point,” Justin Juray said. “That's not welcoming. Who feels good about seeing an armed guard at the door at a bowling center, at a family-fun center? That's not Maine, not America. That's not normal.”
The couple is hoping to reopen their doors sometime this spring. They said they cannot wait to share the reinvented space with their community and beyond.