One of the mass shooting victims in Maine died a hero as family and friends said he confronted the gunman and tried to stab him.
Joseph Walker, a manager at Schemengees Bar and Grille, was identified by family as one of the 18 victims of the Lewiston mass shooting.
His father, Leroy Walker, told “NBC Nightly News’” Lester Holt that Joseph Walker tried to stop the gunman with a butcher knife.
“And he tried to go at the gunman to stop him from shooting anybody else. The gunman shot him twice through the stomach,” Leroy Walker said.
The gunman killed 18 people and injured 13 more at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away, in Lewiston, Maine on Wednesday.
Station Grill Restaurant, where Joseph Walker was also a manager, said he had made it to the kitchen at Schemengees Bar and Grille where he was playing cornhole. In the kitchen, the business explained, there’s a door he could have exited, saving his own life.
“ … but not Joe,” the restaurant wrote. “He grabbed a knife and went back out into danger to try and stop the shooter.”
Putting everyone else first was what Joseph Walker was known for, the business wrote.
“He will alway be our hero,” the post said. “Rest in peace my friend. You will be missed. We will love you forever.”
His wife, Tracey Walker, also called him a hero, updating a Facebook post that said she was looking for husband after the shooting.
“I will forever hold him close to my heart,” she wrote. “For those of you who knew us from the start of our relationship this man changed my life for the better and would do anything for me his kids and grandchildren. R.I.P babe till we’re together again.”
A GoFundMe for the family has raised $3,234 of $10,000 goal as of Friday morning.
