‘Enchanted’ Actor Patrick Dempsey Reacts to Mass Shooting in His Maine Hometown

The city of Lewiston, Maine, sits on the Androscoggin River, just north of Portland. It’s the midway point between Portland and the state capital of Augusta. Its population of 37,121 makes it the second-largest city in the state. It is home to Bates College and the University of Southern Maine. And on Wednesday night, it joined the long list of cities and towns in America that have suffered a mass shooting.

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Shortly before 7 p.m. on October 25, police received a 911 call from the Sparetime Recreation Bowling Alley in Lewistown, reporting that a gunman had fired shots at the business. Approximately 10 minutes later, police received a second 911 call from Schemengees Bar and Grille, once again reporting shots fired. In total, the gunman killed 18 people and injured another 13. Among the dead were a father and his son who were spending the evening together at the bowling alley, four deaf men who were attending a cornhole tournament at the local bar and did not hear the shots fired, and a father of five who was at the local bar playing pool with his father. His father left just before the gunman arrived.

The nation was horrified by another mass shooting. Still, it hit especially hard for Disney actor Patrick Dempsey, who is best known to Disney fans for his roles in Enchanted (2007), Disenchanted (2022), and for playing Dr. Derek Shepherd in the ACB drama Grey’s Anatomy, and also happens to be from Lewiston.

The shootings occurred less than 50 miles from where I live. I went to high school in Lisbon. It’s the rapid-fire killing machines, people. This is madness in the name of freedom. Stop electing apologists for murder.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 26, 2023

Dempsey wrote on Instagram:

I am shocked and deeply saddened by last night’s tragedy in my hometown, Lewiston, Maine. Maine’s great strength is its sense of community, and now we are being asked to come together to support everyone that has been devastated by this senseless act. My family and I are heartbroken for the victims, their families, and the community. 

Patrick Dempsey has deep ties to the community in Lewiston. He founded the Dempsey Center in both Lewiston and Portland. The center provides “relief, comfort, resources, and support” to those impacted by cancer. Dempsey opened the centers after his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

John Mulaney and Pete Davidson both canceled their comedy shows this weekend as a result of the Maine mass shooting. Maine’s favorite son, Stephen King, also took to X (formerly Twitter), saying, “This is madness in the name of freedom.”

As of Friday night, Maine State Police were still were still searching for the person responsible for the shootings. Authorities are cautioning that the suspect is armed and dangerous, and they continue to search for him in the woods of Maine.

Friday marks the 300th day of 2023. There are been 566 mass shootings since the start of the year, or 1.88 per day. A mass shooting is defined as an event where at least four people are shot. This is the worst mass killing of 2023 and the worst in America since the Uvalde shooting in May 2022.

For those impacted by the Maine shooting or any other act of gun violence, the Dempsey Center has a list of resources available to anyone in the community. 

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