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Wedding Photographer Stabbed at Maine Reception Recovers After Emergency Surgery

Medically trained guests provided immediate, lifesaving care that stabilized the photographer and kept him alive.

Overview

  • The photographer, 26-year-old Donald Halsing, was stabbed in the abdomen while working at a wedding reception at Kingsley Pines Camp on May 23, 2026, and required emergency surgery followed by a five-day hospital stay.
  • Guests with medical training, including the bride who is a nurse and an ER nurse at the event, packed the wound and applied pressure until emergency responders arrived.
  • Police arrested 26-year-old Andrew T. Manderson at the scene, charged him with elevated aggravated assault and aggravated assault, and he was later released on $50,000 bail with a court date set for October 27.
  • Halsing is recuperating at home, expects months to fully recover, plans to go ahead with his own September wedding, and a GoFundMe has raised about $18,000 to help with his recovery costs.
  • Authorities say the attack was unprovoked and the motive remains unclear, and investigators and prosecutors continue to build the case before the October hearing.