Nearly every seat in the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine, was full Sunday night when over 1,500 people gathered to mourn the victims of last week's mass shooting.
Community leaders spoke throughout the evening, offering moments of silence, interfaith prayer and music. The deadly attack Wednesday night at a bowling alley and a bar left 18 people dead and 13 injured, several of whom remain in critical condition.
At one point, one of the speakers, Kevin Bohlin, a member of the deaf community, delivered remarks in American Sign Language. Four of the shooting victims were deaf. He asked everyone in attendance to raise their hands and sign "I love you." People raised their hands and signed "I love you" back to him.
As the vigil ended, people hugged and many made their way to the front of the basilica where photos of the 18 victims were surrounded by flowers. They paid their respects before joining the rest of their community to try to begin to heal.
Raquel C. Zald铆var is a bilingual visual journalist at the New England News Collaborative, where she produces visual stories and collaborates with journalists throughout the New England region.
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