LEWISTON, Maine — Friday marks one year since the devastating mass shooting in Lewiston that claimed 18 lives, injured 13 others, and forever changed the community. Many survivors, like Bobbi Nichols, are still grappling with the emotional weight of that night.
Bobbi lost her sister, Tricia Asselin, in the shootings. The two had gone to Just-In-Time Recreation to bowl on the evening of Oct. 25, 2023. Bobbi recalls one of their last moments together—a hug filled with excitement for the evening ahead.
"She had been walking up to the front door as I hugged her," Bobbi said. "She goes, 'Oh we're gonna have fun.' I said, 'Yeah we are.'"
Reflecting on the tragedy, Bobbi finds some solace in knowing she was with Tricia in her final moments.
"I'm glad that I was with her because I feel like she didn't die alone. I got to spend every minute with her," Bobbi said.
The grief Bobbi has experienced over the past year extends beyond the loss of her sister. She also deals with the trauma that comes from surviving the horrific event.
"Just the idea of running when someone has a gun... it does a lot to people," she said.
Even a year later, Bobbi struggles with anxiety while doing everyday activities like going to the grocery store.
"If I look back, I've made many strides," she shared. "But if I don't look back, I'm still very much lost and still grieving and still horrified about memories of that night."
Bobbi admits that she doesn't want to recognize that a year has passed since the tragedy.
"I don’t want to recognize that it's been a year. I don't want to recognize that it happened. I don't want to recognize that she's never coming back," she said.
For Bobbi, keeping Tricia's memory alive is a crucial part of her healing. She often speaks about how beautiful Tricia was, both inside and out, and she refuses to let her sister be forgotten.
"I don't want her to be forgotten. I want her to be remembered, because good people should be remembered," Bobbi said.
Bobbi said she believes the victims of the Lewiston shootings deserve to be remembered for the lives they led, not just as one of the 18 people killed that night.
As the one year mark approaches, Bobbi recognizes that every survivor has their own way of dealing with the pain. Some people find it too difficult to talk about what happened, while others, like Bobbi, feel a need to speak about it.