LaPorte resident moved from Lewiston, Maine and worried for relatives after mass shooting
LAPORTE — A LaPorte woman who moved here from Lewiston, Maine was troubled to learn of the mass shootings in her hometown and used to work with one of the victims.
Nikki Haines said she knows cousins and other relatives of the suspect, who was found dead over the weekend from what police believe was a gunshot wound he inflicted on himself after killing 18 people. Haines said she used to play darts with her stepfather at Schemengees Bar and Grille, where most of the victims were shot.
After hearing about the Wednesday night shootings, Haines said, “I was like, what the heck.”
Immediately, she tried contacting her mother, Brenda, and other immediate family members still living in the area to make sure they were safe.
She was not able to reach them right away, though.
“I was freaking out,” she said.
Haines said her mother later texted her that she was under lockdown as a precaution since the shooter was still at-large. That lockdown lasted for two days while the community worried that the gunman was still at large.
Eventually, Haines learned every family member was safe but didn’t know about her father, Kirk, until Friday morning when he called her.
“I didn’t sleep. I had a hard time focusing," she said. "I was constantly watching Maine news. It was very heart-wrenching.”
For about two years, Haines said, she lived in Lewiston, where at least 18 people were killed and 13 others wounded in the shooting rampage at the bar and a bowling alley on the other side of the city of more than 36,000 residents.
Victims honored: Devoted youth bowling coach. 'Hero' bar manager. Families remember Maine shooting victims
Haines also grew up in the nearby Maine communities of Lisbon and Bowdoin, which were major focuses of the ongoing search for gunman, who lived in Bowdoin.
Haines, 36, said she lived in that area her whole life until moving to LaPorte close to three years ago.
Haines said she doesn’t recall knowing the gunman but went to school with some of his cousins and other more distant relatives.
They also used to babysit her and come to her house regularly to visit, she said.
Haines said one of the shooting victims, Tricia Asselin, was a co-worker of hers at the local Walmart.
They were not friends but, occasionally, they spent time together at the store, Haines said.
“We kind of hung out with each other on breaks,” she said.
Haines said she worked for about a year stocking shelves at the Walmart about a decade ago.
Asselin was killed at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, which was the second location the gunman struck.
At times, Haines said, she bowled there in her spare time and saw Asselin at the alley just in passing.
Haines said her nerves were still a bit on edge from worrying about her family members for the two days the gunman was still at large.
Her mother lives in Lisbon, a short distance from where a car belonging to the gunman was found abandoned at a boat launch area, triggering a massive search.
Haines said her father lives in nearby Brunswick, but he often travels to Lewiston to frequent places like Walmart and a hardware store or just hang out.
Haines said her stepfather, George, plays in dart tournaments at the bar where the gunman started the mass shootings.
She also used to play darts with her stepfather at the same establishment.
Haines said she came to LaPorte to start a personal relationship, which didn’t work out.
She decided to stay after accepting an offer for a part-time job at the Jane Bernard Animal Adoption Center near the LaPorte County Fairgrounds and later being promoted to a full-time animal control officer.
Haines said she may have gone to school with the gunman but is not sure, as they’re four years apart and it’s been a long time ago.
“It’s been so long I probably wouldn’t even recognize him,” she said.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: LaPorte resident from Lewiston, Maine was worried after mass shooting
