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Mainers pay respects at Schemengees Bar and Grille to those they considered friends

People are adding to a growing memorial outside the bar as Maine State Police have begun releasing personal property to people who were there or their families.

LEWISTON, Maine — Members of the Lewiston community are mourning the tremendous loss of those they considered friends.

People stopped by Schemengees Bar and Grille Sunday, paying their respects and adding to a growing memorial outside the bar.

"Never in a million years would we imagine anything like this would ever happen here," Tim Cassidy, a Lewiston resident, said. "It's always been a place of fun competition and laughing and joking."

Schemengees was the second location police say Robert Card entered and opened fire, killing eight people. Before that, Card is accused of killing seven people at Just-In-Time Recreation, formerly Sparetime Recreation. Three other victims later died at a hospital, for a total of 18 deaths in the mass shooting.

Dave Madore stopped by Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille with his family on Sunday. Madore said he runs the arcade games and jukeboxes at the bar, and if it weren't for a slight change in plans on Wednesday night, he would have been at the bar around the time shots rang out.

"If it weren't for a phone call, 10-15 minutes, I would have been here. I would have been here when it happened with a monitor in my arms," he said.

Maine State Police have turned Schemengees Bar and Grille over to its owners, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety. A trauma service cleanup company from Mansfield, Massachusetts is cleaning the establishment.

Maine State Police are releasing personal property, like vehicles, back to people who were there Wednesday night or to victims' family members.

"If you have your keys in your possession you or a loved one are now free to retrieve your vehicle. We will continue to work to release vehicles for those that do not possess their keys. Some keys were retrieved as personal property and are being processed quickly to be able to return to the owners," a Maine State Police Facebook post on Saturday evening said.

After a harrowing past couple of days, people are still trying to comprehend the tragedy that occurred Wednesday night.

"There's so many questions, so little answers," Cassidy said. "Time does heal, but right now it's not happening."

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