Who is Leroy Walker? Father of man killed while trying to stop Maine mass shooter says he 'can't hate the gunman'
LEWISTON, MAINE: Joseph Walker, who was managing the Schemengees Bar & Grille establishment, died while trying to stop the mass shooter and help people.
During the shooting rampage that shook Maine's Lewiston area, 18 people died and 13 were wounded, as per People.
Talking to CNN, Joseph’s father Leroy said he ‘can’t hate’ the gunman. "[He was] loved by many, loved by myself. And he would love back to everybody. So I know he would do such a thing to try to save lives and not let somebody hurt the people that he loved."
Joseph Walker's father Leroy explains why he won't hate the killer
Explaining his earlier statement, Leroy, who is also a city counselor in Auburn, Maine, said, “I don’t hate this guy at all. This guy wasn’t born to do what he did. It’s something wrong."
He continued, "You have to put that part of it, you have to put it out of your mind," Leroy said.
"You have to let the law do whatever needs to be done. If this person was at the time in his right mind, I believe he would've been a loving person just like we are. There's something that went wrong. And I just can't hate him," he continued.
The emotional father explained, "I believe in the law and I have to feel that way," he said, adding "You can't run around this world hating people. If you do, these kind of things will happen more and more."
"And I'm sure this man, whatever happened to his mind, I'm sure he wasn't born to be a killer," Leroy further expressed.
"And he's got, I'm sure, a father and a mother that would have never believed this would've happened with him. So all I can say is, I'm sorry that it's happened to all of us, And I'm sorry what may happen to him. And God will prevail," he concluded, saying "Hate will never bring my son back."
Leroy Walker said thousands of people loved his son Joseph Walker
In his previous interview with NBC Nightly News, Leroy said that Joseph had two grandchildren, a stepson, and "thousands of people who loved him."
Maine Governor Janet Mills said in a statement on Friday, October 28, "Profound gratitude for their unwavering bravery and determination and fortitude."
"I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone," Mills said, adding “Now is a time to heal.”
"Tonight the city of Lewiston and the state of Maine begin to move forward on what will be a long and difficult road to healing," she added.