At least 22 people were killed last night in Lewiston, Maine, when a man armed with an automatic rifle opened fire in a restaurant and a bowling alley.
Officials said there were more casualties, but declined to provide details.
State and local police identified Robert R. Card, 40, as a person of interest in the case after previously posting photos on Facebook of a man holding what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle. Pictures from one of the crime scenes from Wednesday show a bearded man in a brown hoodie and jeans holding a gun in a firing position.
“We have literally hundreds of law enforcement officers working in the state of Maine to investigate this case to locate Mr. Card, who is a person of interest,” Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said at a news conference.
Several media outlets reported that a Maine law enforcement bulletin identified Card as a trained firearms instructor and U.S. Army reservist who recently reported having mental health issues, including with his voice. He is also said to have threatened to shoot up a National Guard base.
“It was also reported that Card was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks during the summer of 2023 and was subsequently released,” the Maine Information and Analysis Center said in a statement.
President Joe Biden had spoken by phone to Mills and the state’s Senate and House members, offering “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” a White House statement said.
Local schools will be closed Thursday and people should shelter in place or seek safety, Superintendent Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them.”
Wednesday’s death toll was staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year.
