Maine Woman Says Sister Was Calling 911 as She Was Fatally Shot in Bowling Alley: 'She's a Hero'

Tricia Asselin, 53, who was killed in Wednesday's mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, was remembered for her generosity and kindness

Tricia Asselin, 53, died a hero trying to call for help during Wednesday's mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, her sister tells PEOPLE.

Bobbi-Lynn Nichols accompanied her younger sister, Asselin, to Just-In-Time Recreation, a bowling alley, where Asselin worked part-time. Then, shortly before 7 p.m., a gunman opened fire. It was one of two shootings in the span of minutes that left 18 dead and 13 injured.

As of Thursday afternoon, a manhunt was still ongoing for the suspect, Robert Card, who authorities have said is "armed and extremely dangerous."

It was Asselin's day off, but she asked her sister to join her to bowl.

While they were bowling, they heard a “loud pop," recalls Nichols, who says she didn't realize it was a gunshot until she heard the second shot.

“We were just running, and I kept saying: 'I want my sister out of there,'” she says. “And she called 911 and put herself in his way by trying to get help. She’s a hero. My sister is a hero.” 

Nichols says she ran out of the bowling alley along with others, saying it was like a "stampede."

“We just wanted to run as far as we could,” she says.

But once she got outside, she realized her sister wasn’t there with her. She says Asselin got shot as she pulled out her phone to call 911.

Related: Maine Shootings: What We Know About 'Armed and Dangerous' Suspect, Now Wanted for Murders

“My sister was the most kind, most honest, most giving person you would ever meet,” Nichols says. “She would take her last penny and give it to you. She would raise money for people she didn't even know.”

Asselin was an athlete who coached little league in Auburn, Maine, her mother Alicia Lachance, tells PEOPLE.

Lachance wants her daughter to be remembered for her generosity, noting that Asselin recently raised $900 for a breast cancer walk.

Nichols echoes Lachance, and says she wants to do something to honor Asselin's memory, perhaps at the breast cancer walk in 2024.

“I would walk for her,” she says through tears. “I would do it.” 

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