Three cities are still under shelter in place orders as police look for a 40-year-old suspect.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers are fanned out over Maine looking for a military-trained firearms instructor believed to have opened fire early Wednesday night at two Lewiston locations, killing 18 people and wounding another 13.
Robert Card, 40, who was named a “person of interest” late Wednesday night, is now a suspect with arrest warrants for eight counts of murder filed against him.
Maine State Police Col. William Ross said the number reflects the number of victims who have been identified and will increase.
Ross said the first 911 call came in minutes before 7 p.m. from the Just in Time bowling alley, where Wednesday bowling leagues were in full swing. Officials who responded found seven people dead there — seven males and one female. Twelve minutes later, 911 calls came in from Schemengees Bar & Grill, about four miles away. There, Ross said, 8 males were found dead — seven outside and one inside.
Fifteen people were taken to various hospitals, where three died from their wounds.
Officials did not have a breakdown of the ages of the victims.
State police issued a shelter-in-place order for Lewiston that was later expanded to cover the whole of Androscoggin County. By Thursday morning, the order applied only to Lewiston and the towns of Bowdoin, where Card lived, and Lisbon, where his vehicle was found late Wednesday night at a boat dock.
Officials stressed, however, that the manhunt for Card was in full swing.
“This suspect is still at large,” state Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said. “We want to provide community support for the victims, for the families … but we also have a strong laser-like focus to bring this suspect into custody.”
Sauschuck declined to answer questions about Card’s access to guns despite his reported mental health issues — The Associated Press said he spent two weeks in a mental health facility this summer after reporting hearing voice and threatening to conduct a shooting at a training base in Saco, as CrimeOnline has reported.
He also declined to discuss a motive for the shooting, saying instead that officials were engaged in “full court press” to find him and bring him into custody.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills made the announcement about the number of dead and wounded at the top of the news conference and said she was in close contact with local, state and federal officials, as well as the governors of neighboring states who had offered assistance.
“In memory of those we lost and in honor of those injured, President Biden and I have ordered all US flags and all state of Maine flags to be flown at half staff for the next five days,” said Mills, who previously served as district attorney for Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford Counties.
“Look,” she said, “Lewiston is a special place. It’s a close knit community. Lewiston is where I worked for years, where I met and married my husband, and where our girls went to school.
“This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security. No city does. No state, no people. This attack strikes at the very heart of who we are and the values we hold dear in this place we call home.”
Officials stressed that Card should no be approached if spotted, as he is considered armed and dangerous. Ross provided two tip numbers — 207.213.9526 and 207.509.9002 — in addition to 911.
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[Featured image: A sign advises residents to stay home on October 26, 2023, following a mass shooting at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. Police continue to search for the suspect. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)]
