Zoey was inside the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, when a gunman stormed in and opened fire. As chaos ensued, Zoey and her mother, Meghan Hutchinson, escaped to a back room and barricaded themselves inside along with other families. Despite being grazed by a bullet that left a scrape on her leg, Zoey's immediate concern was whether she would make it out alive.

Speaking to ABC News, Zoey expressed her disbelief and struggle to comprehend why such violent acts occur. "Why do people do this? I never thought I'd grow up and get a bullet in my leg," she said, adding, "I don't really know what to say."

Meghan Hutchinson recounted the terrifying moment she first saw the shooter. "When I turned around, I saw the shooter right behind me," she said. The mother and daughter made a desperate attempt to flee to safety, but Zoey was grazed by a bullet as they ran. Despite the injury, Zoey's primary concern was her survival. "I was scared, but it didn't hurt, and I didn't know what happened until I started bleeding," she said. "I wasn't worried about that. I was more worried about, like, am I going to live? Am I going to make it out of here? Like, what's going to happen? Are the cops going to come?"

Once they reached the back room, the adults worked together to block the door with a shelf while the children huddled under tables. Ms. Hutchinson recalled another child in the room bleeding heavily from an arm wound. Police eventually arrived and freed them from the building.

While Zoey only suffered minor injuries, the toll of the shootings was devastating. In total, 18 people were killed across the two locations targeted that night. The first shooting occurred at the bowling alley, where seven people were killed, including one female and six males. The gunman then proceeded to the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, killing seven males inside and one male outside. Three additional victims died after being taken to a local hospital. Another 13 people were injured in the attacks. The conditions of the injured remain unclear.

Law enforcement launched an intensive manhunt for Robert Card, the person of interest in connection to the shootings. Mr. Card, a 40-year-old US Army reservist and certified firearms instructor, had recently made threats to carry out a shooting at a National Guard facility. He had also reported mental health issues and spent time in a mental health facility earlier in the summer. Mr. Card's family expressed shock at his alleged involvement.

The city of Lewiston and surrounding areas were on high alert as police warned residents to shelter in place. Businesses were advised to close as the manhunt continued. Mr. Card's vehicle was discovered near a boat landing in Lisbon, but he remained at large.

The mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, has left the community in shock and searching for answers. Families, like Zoey Levesque's, are left grappling with the emotional and physical scars of yet another tragic act of gun violence. As the search for Robert Card continues, the nation mourns the loss of innocent lives and questions why such senseless acts continue to occur.