LEWISTON, Maine — As a student at an alternative high school in Maine, Maliyah Powell wanted to help others.
Her 2024 graduation project was to secure donations for unhoused people in Lewiston, school officials said.
The school community on Sunday remembered the 22-year-old, who was shot and killed early Friday morning, allegedly by another woman in her 20s, as “a bright light” who aimed to make a difference in people’s lives.
“We are heartbroken at the loss of 2024 graduate Maliyah Powell,” Wayfinder Schools officials said in a Facebook post. “Maliyah was a bright light who was full of compassion and fierce determination.”
“When she graduated, her goal was to study social work. She wanted to help others,” school officials said.
On Friday, at approximately 1:26 a.m., the Lewiston-Auburn Communications Center received a 911 call reporting a shooting on Union Street in Lewiston.
Lewiston Police responded to the scene and requested assistance from the Maine State Police.
When officers arrived, they found Powell suffering from a gunshot wound, state police said in a statement. She was taken by ambulance to Central Maine Medical Center, where she later died.
Elise Bergeron, 25, of Lewiston, was later arrested and charged with murder in connection with Powell’s death.
Bergeron was transported to the Androscoggin County Jail. The investigation is being conducted by the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South, with assistance from Lewiston Police, state police said.
An autopsy found the cause of Powell’s death to be a gunshot wound and the manner of death to be homicide.
The homicide “remains an active and ongoing investigation,” state police said.
Anyone with information related to this incident is asked to contact the Maine State Police at 207-624-7076, option 9.
On Sunday, Wayfinder Schools posted several photographs of Powell from her time there.
In one, Powell is seen smiling and delivering donations at the Trinity Jubilee Center to help people in need.
School officials shared comments from Powell’s former teacher, Cindy, when she graduated in 2024.
“Maliyah has a personality that sparkles,” her teacher said at the time. “Her ability to draw upon life experiences and share her knowledge through her excellent writing skills helped her to excel in coursework.”
Powell’s “humor, honesty, and intelligence were a pleasure to experience. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives,” her teacher said at the time.
“We will miss Maliyah tremendously, and our hearts go out to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her,” school officials said Sunday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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