A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday before fleeing into the night, triggering a massive search by hundreds of police and frightened residents locked in Home.
A police report said 40-year-old Robert Card was wanted in connection with the attack that saw panicked bowlers scrambling behind pins when shots rang out around 7 p.m. Card was described as a firearms instructor who was believed to be in the Army Reserves and assigned to the training facility in Saco, Maine.
The document, distributed to law enforcement officials, says Card was sent to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. The document provides no details about his treatment or condition, but says Card reported “hearing noises and threatening to shoot.” On the military base. The card phone number listed in public records is not available.
Lewiston police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were responding to shootings at Schengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) from the bowling alley.
A pitcher who gave his name only as Brandon said he heard about 10 gunshots and thought the first one was a balloon popping.
“My back was to the door. When I turned around and saw it wasn’t a balloon — he had a weapon — I booked it,” he told The Associated Press.
Brandon said he crawled along the length of the alley, slid into the flagpole area, then climbed onto the machine to hide. He was part of a carload of survivors who were taken to a middle school in the neighboring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.
“I was putting on my bowling shoes when the game started. I’d been barefoot for five hours,” he said.
Legends Sports Bar and Grill owner Melinda Small said her staff immediately locked the doors and evacuated all 25 customers and employees after a customer reported hearing shots fired at a bowling alley less than a quarter mile away. Move outside the door. Soon, police flooded the road and one officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building.
“Honestly, I’m in shock. I’m lucky that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” Small said. “But at the same time, I’m heartbroken for this region and what everyone is facing. I just feel numb.”
After the shooting, many police officers with rifles were in place. The whole city fell into an eerie quiet, sirens sounded from time to time, and people stayed at home. Schools in Lewiston, Lisbon and Auburn, as well as city offices in Lewiston, are closed Thursday.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office posted two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page, showing the gunman walking into a facility with a weapon slung over his shoulder.
Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that at least 16 people were killed and the death toll was expected to rise. However, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck declined to provide a specific estimate at a news conference, calling the situation “unstable.” State police plan to hold a press conference Thursday morning.
Dozens of people were also injured, two law enforcement officials said. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Central Maine Medical Center said on its website that staff are “responding to mass casualty and mass shooting incidents” and are coordinating with area hospitals to admit patients. The hospital was cordoned off and police, some armed with rifles, stood at the entrance.
Meanwhile, hospitals as far away as about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Portland were on alert to receive possible victims.
An order asking residents and business owners to stay off the streets was extended Wednesday night from Lewiston to about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away after a “suspicious vehicle” was spotted in the city of 37,000 people, authorities said. of Lisbon. .
Gov. Janet Mills issued a statement echoing the directive for people to shelter in place. She said she was informed of the situation and would be in close contact with public safety officials.
A White House statement said President Joe Biden spoke by phone with Mills and members of the state’s Senate and House of Representatives to offer “the full support of the federal government in the aftermath of this horrific attack.”
Maine independent Sen. Angus King said he was “deeply saddened by the city of Lewiston and all those who are worried about their families, friends and neighbors” and was monitoring developments closely. King’s office said the senator will take the first flight directly back to Maine.
Local schools will be closed Thursday and people should shelter in place or seek safety, Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to loved ones. Hug them.”
For a state that saw 29 homicides in all of 2022, Wednesday’s death toll was staggering.
No license is required to carry a firearm in Maine, and the state has a long gun-owning culture closely tied to its hunting and shooting sports traditions.
Gun control advocates have recently tried and failed to tighten the state’s gun laws. Earlier this year, proposals to require background checks on private gun sales and create a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases failed. In 2019, proposals focused on school safety and banning crash stocks failed.
Maine residents also voted down some attempts to tighten gun laws. A proposal to require background checks on gun sales failed at a public vote in 2016.
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