A suspect was on the run, state police said. At a news conference, Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said the shootings began before 7 p.m. State Police began investigating “multiple locations” just after 8 p.m.
The Lewiston Police Department posted on Facebook late Wednesday night that they are searching for 40-year-old Robert R. Card, a suspect in the shootings. This man is armed and dangerous
News found a Maine law enforcement report identifying Card as a Saco-based Army Reserve firearms instructor.
According to the bulletin, he mentioned mental health difficulties like hearing voices. The bulletin said that he was confined to a mental health hospital for two weeks this summer after threatening to shoot up the Saco National Guard base.
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Authorities posted photographs of the suspect and requested contact “if you recognize this individua Boston sources said Card has Massachusetts ties and that Massachusetts State Police and federal authorities are at the Maine border.
State Police stated they found a “vehicle of interest” in Lisbon, Maine, 7 miles southeast of Lewiston.
Police also posted a photo of a white vehicle and requested anyone to report it to Lewiston police. Whether this was the same vehicle recovered in Lisbon was unclear, although it matched a law enforcement bulletin description of a vehicle Card was known to drive.
The state police advised Lewiston and Lisbon residents to shelter in “Please stay inside your home with the doors locked,” they posted.
Authorities later extended the shelter-in-place order to Bowdoin, Maine, Card’s hometown. “Please stay inside your homes while more than 100 investigators, both local and federal, work to locate Robert Card,” she urged.
Maine Border:
Auburn, Maine, which borders Lewiston to the west, advised people to stay in place. Lewiston is 45 minutes north of Portland.
Portland station WGME-TV reported that the manhunt closed many schools Thursday.Public schools in Portland will close.
Lewiston police responded to Schemengees Bar and Grille and the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley. The establishments look to be 10 minutes apart.
A Schemengees owner posted on Facebook: “Devastated. Words fail me. Without warning, your world changes.This community loses amazing people. How can we understand this? Praying for everyone.”
One bowling alley patron assumed the first shot was a balloon popping after hearing 10 shots. “My back was to the door. I booked it when I turned and realized the guy was brandishing a weapon, “he told The Associated Press, adding that he then ran down the alley and into the machinery behind the pins.
Lewiston’s Central Maine Medical Center claimed it was “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event,” but did not provide patient numbers or injuries.
Portland’s Maine Medical Center reported receiving “one patient transport” from Central Maine Medical Center after the shootings. The Portland hospital “alerted on-call staff and created critical care and operating room capacity in anticipation of potential patient transports.”
Reuters reports that state police have reported 16–29 killings in Maine since 2012.
White House official: Biden listened to “what’s known so far about the mass shooting in Lewiston.”
Australian Prime Minister Call:
Mr. Biden “stepped out” of a state banquet honoring Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “to make calls,” a White House official told. He personally called Maine Governor Janet Mills, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and Rep. Jared Golden about the Lewiston shooting. The president provided full federal help after this awful attack.”
An FBI official told that the agency is reacting.
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas was briefed.
“The entire Department of Homeland Security grieves with the loved ones of those killed and injured and stands with the brave law enforcement officers and first responders who are currently working to secure and safeguard the people of Lewiston,” Mayorkas said in a release.
Mills stated that she was informed. “I urge all people in the area to follow the direction of state and local enforcement,” stated Mills. “I will continue to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with public safety officials.”
King’s office stated he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends, and neighbors.”
Mass Shooting in Maine
Collins posted on social media that she spoke with Biden. “As our state mourns this horrific mass shooting, we appreciate the support we’ve received from across the country, including the call I received from President Biden offering assistance,” The state police advised Lewiston and Lisbon residents to shelter in “Please stay inside your home with the doors locked,” they posted.
Authorities later extended the shelter-in-place order to Bowdoin, Maine, Card’s hometown. “Please stay inside your homes while more than 100 investigators, both local and federal, work to locate Robert Card,” she urged.
Auburn, Maine, which borders Lewiston to the west, advised people to stay in place. Lewiston is 45 minutes north of Portland.
Portland Station about Maine:
The WGME-TV reported that the manhunt closed many schools Thursday.
Lewiston police responded to Schemengees Bar and Grille and the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley. The establishments look to be 10 minutes apart.
A Schemengees owner posted on Facebook: “Devastated. Words fail me. Your world abruptly changes for no apparent reason. This community loses amazing people. How can we understand this? Praying for everyone.”
One bowling alley patron assumed the first shot was a balloon popping after hearing 10 shots. “My back was to the door. I booked it when I turned and realized the guy was brandishing a weapon, “he told The Associated Press, adding that he then ran down the alley and into the machinery behind the pins.
Lewiston’s Central Maine Medical Center claimed it was “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event,” but did not provide patient numbers or injuries.
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