Another victim of Maine mass shooting discharged from hospital as panel prepares to convene

Officials say only a handful of survivors are still hospitalized three weeks following a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine

Medical staff lined the hallways this week as another victim of last month's Lewiston mass shooting was released from Central Maine Medical Center, leaving only two of the wounded in the hospital.

Doctors, nurses and team members paid silent tribute to the patient, who was not identified, after a two-and-a-half week stay in the hospital in Lewiston, the city where 18 people were killed and 13 others injured on Oct. 25 in the deadliest shooting in state history.

The hospital staff "wanted to acknowledge this milestone, while at the same time remain mindful that this patient, and many of us, have a long road ahead,” said Kris Chaisson, chief nursing officer.

The patient’s departure Monday leaves two patients, both in stable condition, at Central Maine Medical Center, an official said.

Most of the injured were taken to Central Maine Medical Center, while one each went to other hospitals in Lewiston, Portland and Boston.

The others have been discharged, including 16-year-old Gavin Robitaille, of Auburn, Maine, who left Mass General for Children in Boston a week ago, an official said.

Robitaille's family issued a statement Wednesday thanking the medical teams for “saving Gavin and seeing all of us through our darkest moments.”

Central Maine Medical Center went on lockdown and tens of thousands of residents were urged to shelter in place after the shootings at a bowling alley and a bar. The body of the gunman, 40-year-old Army reservist Robert Card, was found two days later. An autopsy indicated he died by suicide.

An independent commission established to review all aspects of the tragedy, including how warning signs that Card was in a mental health crisis were not acted upon, will meet for the first time Monday.

The panel created by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills will use the meeting to get organized and discuss the path forward in determining the facts that led to the tragedy and the law enforcement response, officials said.