A gunman who shot dead 18 people in the US state of Maine is still on the run, says the state’s governor
Authorities in Lewiston are investigating “two active shooter events” and have warned people to stay inside, away from windows, with doors locked.
Police have released images of a man with a military-style assault rifle in a bowling alley and say they are looking for “armed and dangerous” Robert Card.
The 40-year-old suspect, thought to have 20 years military service, worked as an army firearms instructor and recently spent time at a mental health facility after hearing voices, according to an internal police notice.
Follow live: Manhunt in Maine
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Moments after mass shooting in Maine
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Police have released images of the suspect. Pic: Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office
Maine governor, Janet Mills, said 18 people were killed and 13 injured in the shooting rampage at a kids’ bowling alley and nearby bar in Lewiston on Wednesday night.
She warned residents not to approach the “person of interest” who is “armed and dangerous” and call police immediately if he is spotted.
Card is said to have been a sergeant first class in the army reserve, specialising in petroleum supply, but had no previous combat deployments overseas since enlisting in 2002, according to the US Army.
During his time in the forces, he was awarded the Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defence Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
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Pic: Lewiston Police Department
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The suspect is 40-year-old Robert Card. Pic: Lewiston Police Department
Since the shooting, hundreds of police officers, many armed with rifles, have taken up positions across the city, and roads have been shut amid the manhunt.
So far authorities confirmed 18 people have been killed, but it is thought there could be as many as 22 fatalities, NBC News earlier reported, citing a Lewiston police source.
As many as 50 people are also said to have been injured, not all of whom were shot. Some reportedly had injuries from a stampede.
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Pic: Lewiston Police Department
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This photo, released by police, shows a vehicle officers are seeking information on in connection to the shooting: Pic: Lewiston Maine Police Department via AP
Police say the shootings happened at about 7pm local time on Wednesday at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley recently renamed Just-In-Time Recreation – which are about four miles apart.
They also posted a photo of a white Subaru, which was later found in the nearby town of Lisbon where residents have also been told to stay at home.
One witness, who identified himself only as Brandon, was at the bowling alley and described how the gunman appeared “out of nowhere” and was “15 feet behind me” when he heard “a loud pop” and the first of several gunshots.
“As soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon and he was holding a weapon, I just booked it down the lane,” he said.
“I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up into the machine, and was on top of the machines for about 10 minutes before the cops got there.”
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Families have gathered in the neighbouring city of Auburn, Maine, to be reunited with their loved ones. Pic: Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP
He was among survivors who were driven to the neighbouring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.
“I was putting on my bowling shoes when it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he added.
Sky’s US correspondent Martha Kelner said the owner of the bowling alley says it was packed at the time with at least 100 people, including around 20 children.
A number of parents and children were there as part of a children’s bowling league.
Zoey Levesque, 10, who was there with her mother, told WMTW-TV she was grazed by a bullet.
“It’s scary,” she said. “I had never thought I’d grow up and get a bullet in my leg. And it’s just like, why? Why do people do this?”
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‘My son was at the bar and we’ve heard nothing’
Central Maine Medical Center referred to a “mass casualty, mass shooter event” but did not give numbers.
Off-duty staff, doctors and nurses were asked to come in to work to deal with the number of casualties.
Hospitals as far away as Portland, about 35 miles to the south, were placed on alert to potentially receive victims.
Maine’s public health commissioner, Mike Sauschuck, confirmed multiple casualties but also said he didn’t have a precise figure.
He said “hundreds” of police are looking for “person of interest” Robert Card.
Read more: What we know about Maine shooting suspect
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Stretchers are lined up outside Central Maine Medical Center. Pic: Derek Davis/Portland Press/via AP
Kelner said information released by officials suggested the gunman was a member of the US Army Reserve suffering from mental health issues, who had threatened to carry out a shooting at a training facility in Saco, Maine, which he was assigned to.
“Questions will come down the road about just why and how he was able to maintain ownership of such a powerful weapon,” she said.
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Police are searching the city of Lewiston and surrounding areas of Maine state for the gunman. Pic: AP
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Roads have been shut and towns and cities placed in lockdown while the gunman is still at large
President Joe Biden has been briefed and spoke to the state’s governor to offer full federal support, the White House said.
Governor Janet Mills echoed police instructions for residents to stay off the streets and businesses to lockdown or close until authorities give the all-clear.
Superintendent Jake Langlais said schools would be shut on Thursday, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them.”
Schools as far as Kennebunk, more than 50 miles from Lewiston, also closed out of caution including in Portland, the state’s largest city.
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The shootings took place at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley – situated about four miles apart in Lewiston, Maine
The mayor of Auburn – located just across the Androscoggin River – told reporters witnesses “of all ages”, including teenagers, are being interviewed at an undisclosed safe location.
Jason Levesque added families gathering at a school in the city are being told whether their loved ones, who had been at the bar and bowling alley, are among the casualties.
“There’s fear, there’s panic,” he said, adding: “Something like this doesn’t just get solved overnight and nobody can expect it to. But we’ve got a really strong community. We’ve overcome a lot and we’ll overcome this.”
Who is ‘person of interest’ Robert Card?
A bulletin put out by the Maine Information and Analysis Center, a database for law enforcement officials, said 40-year-old Card is a trained firearms instructor and was believed to be in the Army Reserve.
It added that law enforcement said Card “recently reported mental health issues to include hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, Maine”.
The bulletin said Card was reported to have been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this summer and then released.
Sky News has not been able to independently verify the bulletin’s statements about Card’s history.
Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley posted an emotional Facebook message in the aftermath of the attack.
“None of this seems real, but unfortunately it is,” it read. “We are devastated for our community and our staff. We lost some amazing and whole hearted people from our bowling family and community last night.
“There are no words to fix this or make it better. We [are] praying for everyone who has been affected by this horrific tragedy. We love you all and hold you close in our hearts.”
Schemengees Bar and Grille also posted a message on the social media platform.
“My heart is crushed,” the post said. “I am at a loss for words”.
The unidentified writer said their world had been turned “upside down”, and referred to the “loss” of lives.
“How can we make any sense of this. Sending out prayers to everyone,” they added.
The stay-at-home order has been expanded to include Auburn, as well as the town of Bowdoin – situated around 21 miles from Lewiston.
Lewiston is a city of about 35,000 people in the far northeast of the US.
Maine has one of the lowest per capita murder rates in America, with state police recording only 29 homicides in 2022.
Before Wednesday’s incident, the deadliest US mass shooting of 2023 was in Monterey Park, California, where 11 people were murdered during a Chinese New Year event.
