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The 18 people who were killed in a mass shooting in the US state of Maine have been named by officials.

The suspect, Robert Card, is believed to have killed seven people at Just-In-Time Recreation, and a further eight people at Schemengees Bar and Grille.

Three more people died after being taken to local hospitals.

Among the dead are a father and son, a volunteer bowling coach and a manager at the bar, which the suspect is reported to have visited before.

The victims of the mass shooting in Maine. Pic: Department of Public Safety
Image:
The victims of the mass shooting in Maine. Pic: Department of Public Safety

All of the victims were named by public safety commissioner Mike Sauschuck during a press conference on Friday. Some had earlier been publicly identified by friends and relatives.

Joseph ‘Joey’ Walker, 57

Maine shooting victim  Joey Walker
Pic:Leroy Walker
Image:
Joseph Walker. Pic: Leroy Walker

Mr Walker was an employee at Schemengees Bar and Grille who lived in nearby Auburn, Maine.

His father, Leroy Walker, told NBC News he was a beloved husband, father and grandfather who was helping to raise two grandchildren and a stepson.

He described his son as being close to family, having lived near two of his brothers.

He regularly organised fundraisers for local causes and had been planning a cornhole tournament to help veterans when he was shot and killed.

Cornhole is a lawn game popular in North America in which players or teams take turns throwing fabric bean bags at a raised, angled board with a hole in its far end.

Although he did not personally know the suspect, Mr Walker said his son had seen Card in the bar before the shooting.

Bob and Lucille Violette, 76 and 73

Bob Violette
Image:
Bob Violette. Pic: Facebook

As a retiree, Mr Violette volunteered as a coach of a youth bowling league team. He was with the youth league at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley when the shooting happened.

Mrs Violette, 73, was also killed.

Tricia Asselin, 53

Tricia Asselin. Pic: Alicia Lachance
Image:
Tricia Asselin. Pic: Alicia Lachance

The 53-year-old mother worked at the bowling alley part-time, but was there on a night out with her sister at the time of the incident.

At the time, she was trying to call 911 when the gunman shot and killed her, Ms Asselin’s brother told CNN. Her sister survived the attack.

“She wasn’t going to run,” Mr Johnson said. “She was going to try and help.”

Michael Deslauriers II and Jason Walker, both 51

(L-R) Jason Walker and Michael Deslauriers
Image:
(L-R) Jason Walker and Michael Deslauriers. Pic. Facebook

Writing on social media, Mr Deslauriers’s father confirmed his son and his son’s friend, Mr Walker, were shot and killed at the bowling alley.

Michael Deslauriers Sr, chairman of a local historical society, said his son and his friend died while protecting their wives and young children who were also present.

“I have the hardest news for a father to ever have to share,” he said.

“They made sure their wives and several young children were under cover then they charged the shooter.”

It is believed the two men were volunteers at the historical society.

Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40

Peyton Brewer-Ross
Image:
Peyton Brewer-Ross. Pic: Facebook

Mr Brewer-Ross was also taking part in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar and Grille when he was killed, his brother Ralph Brewer told CNN.

His brother said he loved playing cornhole and enjoyed hanging out with friends at the venue.

“It’s just surreal and sad. Now my brother is not here anymore along with 17 other people,” he said.

“He is the nicest person you would ever meet. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone.”

He said his brother “loved being a dad more than anything else”, and recently celebrated his daughter Elle’s second birthday.

“At two years old, she isn’t going to remember any of this, but in the same breath, she isn’t going to have her dad be there the rest of her life,” he said.

He added: “We are walking around in a daze not knowing what to say, what to do, or how to act, because of a senseless shooting. “It’s so unbelievable that this can continue to happen over and over again and nothing changes.”

Bill and Aaron Young, 44 and 14

The father and son – who was aged just 14 – were killed at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, where they had been on a night out with their bowling league. This is according to Mr Young’s brother, Rob.

Before learning about their deaths, he had flown from Baltimore to Lewiston in Maine to help his sister-in-law find any information about the pair, who she had not heard from since they went to the bowling alley.

Bryan MacFarlane, 41

He was part of a group from the deaf community, taking part in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar & Grille when he was killed, his sister Keri Brooks told CNN.

He was an avid motorcyclist who loved his dog, M&M, and had recently moved back to Maine, she said.

Joshua Seal, 36

The father-of-four was confirmed dead by his wife Elizabeth Seal in a Facebook post.

She described him as the “world’s best father” and a “wonderful husband”, and also her “best friend” and “soulmate”.

“It is with a heavy heart that I share with you all that Joshua Seal has passed away… no, he was murdered, in the 10/25 shooting in Lewiston. It still feels surreal,” she wrote.

Referring to their children, she said Mr Seal “loved spending time with them, travelling, going for a day trip to the beach, or going camping for the weekend”.

“He loved his family and always put them first. That is what he will always be remembered for. We love and miss you so so much already,” she added.

The other victims named by officials were:

William ‘Billy’ Brackett, 48

Thomas Conrad, 34

Maxx Hathaway, 35

Keith Macneir, 64

Ronald Morin, 55

Arthur Strout, 42

Stephen Vozzella, 45

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Will a second Trump assassination attempt shift the polls?

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Will a second Trump assassination attempt shift the polls?

With seven weeks to go until the US goes to the polls, Sky’s dedicated team of correspondents goes on the road to gauge what citizens in key swing states make of the choice for president.     

This week they focus on the second assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

Mark Stone travels to Florida where the foiled attack took place, while James Matthews has been finding out more about the suspected would-be assassin in his hometown of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Plus, Martha Kelner attended a Trump town hall in Flint, Michigan, to hear him speak for the first time after the attempt on his life, and asked voters if it will impact the way they vote in November.

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Producer: Rosie Gillott
Editor: Philly Beaumont

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‘All it could do was spin in circles’: Previous Titan sub passenger says his mission was aborted

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'All it could do was spin in circles': Previous Titan sub passenger says his mission was aborted

A previous Titan submersible dive to the Titanic was aborted due to an apparent mechanical failure, one of the mission’s passengers has said.

Fred Hagen had paid a fee to go on a dive in the Titan in 2021, two years before it imploded and killed all five passengers onboard.

He told a US Coast Guard panel investigating the tragedy on Friday that his trip was aborted underwater when the Titan began malfunctioning and it was clear they weren’t going to reach the Titanic wreck site.

“We realised that all it could do was spin around in circles, making right turns,” Mr Hagen said. “At this juncture, we obviously weren’t going to be able to navigate to the Titanic.”

He said the Titan resurfaced and the mission was scrapped.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

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Trump-backed North Carolina Republican Mark Robinson denies calling himself ‘black nazi’ on pornographic forum

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Trump-backed North Carolina Republican Mark Robinson denies calling himself 'black nazi' on pornographic forum

A Republican backed by Donald Trump in his bid to be North Carolina’s governor denied reports he called himself a “black nazi” on an online message board.

CNN reported Thursday that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson posted racial and sexual comments on a pornography website more than a decade ago.

In a video posted on social media, the Republican nominee said he would not leave the race over “salacious tabloid lies”.

“We are staying in this race. We are in it to win it. And we know that with your help, we will.”

Follow the latest on the US election here

Mr Robinson also referenced the CNN report and said: “Let me reassure you the things that you will see in that story – those are not the words of Mark Robinson.

“You know my words. You know my character.”

More on North Carolina

The US outlet reported Mr Robson wrote of being aroused by a memory of “peeping” women in gym showers when he was 14.

He was also said to have used a racial slur when discussing civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, referred to himself as a “black nazi,” and said: “I’d take Hitler over any of the shit that’s in Washington right now.”

CNN said it matched details of the account on the pornographic website forum to other online accounts held by Robinson by comparing usernames, a known email address and his full name.

Sky News has not verified whether the account is linked to Mr Robinson.

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Eight minutes after the report was published on Thursday, vice president Kamala Harris’ campaign started sharing videos of Donald Trump praising Mr Robinson.

One video from the campaign on X shows the former president at a March rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, where he called the lieutenant governor “Martin Luther King times two”.

“I think you’re better than Martin Luther King. I think you are Martin Luther King times two,” Mr Trump said.

Scott Lassiter, a GOP Senate candidate in a swing district in the state, called on Mr Robinson to “suspend his campaign to allow a quality candidate to finish this race”.

Mr Trump’s campaign also appeared to be distancing itself from Mr Robinson.

The ex-president did not refer to the controversy when he addressed Jewish donors on Thursday night, instead vowing to be ‘the best friend Jewish Americans ever had”.

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