Survivors and families of victims from the mass shooting in Lewiston receive final report from Maine Commission; Berman & Simmons Attorney Travis Brennan points to massive failures of federal and state agencies

A nine-month fact-finding assignment by Maine’s Independent Commission to Investigate the facts of the Tragedy in Lewiston concluded with a 215-page report that lays bare massive failures and multiple shortcomings of the Sagadahoc Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Army Reserve that led to the life-changing events of October 25, 2023.

Speaking from the steps of Lewiston City Hall, Berman & Simmons attorney Travis Brennan said now is the time for accountability. “This could have, and should have been prevented,” he said.

The largest of the many oversights include the failure of the Army Reserve to protect the community following his discharge from a psychiatric hospital. Moreover, there was no intervention, despite multiple reports detailing the shooter’s paranoid and threatening behavior made to the Army Reserve and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office, all expressing concern about his access to and knowledge about firearms.

Berman & Simmons attorney, Travis Brennan, represents families and survivors impacted by the tragedy. Among them is Megan Vozella whose husband Steven was at Schemengees Bar & Grill that night. Speaking from the steps of the city hall upon receiving the report Megan shared her thoughts, reflecting on the loss of her husband: “Every day it’s a journey, and it’s a journey we never asked for. We’ve gone through a lot of broken pieces. It’s like we’re walking through the shards one step at a time, one day at a time, and still attempting to enjoy our lives, because life is short, clearly.”

Berman & Simmons is part of a larger coalition of four law firms representing the survivors of the Lewiston shooting including Benjamin Gideon of Gideon Asen, Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder, and National Trial Law.