Hundreds of police officers are searching the city of Lewiston and surrounding areas in Maine for a man wanted in connection with mass shootings at a bar and bowling alley, as the AP reports that at least 16 people have been killed and dozens injured.
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.
