A guy with a rifle assaulted customers at a pub and a bowling alley in the Lewiston, Maine, the night before, leaving 18 people dead and 13 injured, according to Maine Governor Janet Mills, who made this announcement on Thursday.
Searches for Robert R. Card, a U.S. Army reservist who had been committed to a mental health institution by law enforcement during the summer, resulted in police spreading out over southern Maine. Pictures of a bearded guy carrying what looked to be a semi-automatic weapon at one of the murder scenes, dressed in pants and a brown hooded sweatshirt, were distributed. Local public school systems called off classes on Thursday, and authorities advised citizens to stay inside.
“This is a dark day for Maine,” Governor Mills mentioned in conversation with the press. “Mr. Card is considered armed and dangerous and police advise that Maine people should not approach him under any circumstances.”
About seven miles (11 km) southeast of Lewiston, Maine State Police discovered a white SUV they think Card travelled to the town of Lisbon. They then issued an order for residents of Lisbon and Lewiston to stay inside. Additionally, Bowdoin residents, who live approximately 12 miles east of Lewiston, were advised to remain indoors by authorities early on Thursday. Card resides in Bowdoin, according per open records.
Card, 40, is a qualified weapons instructor at the U.S. Army Reserve installation in Saco, Maine. According to a Maine law enforcement alert, he lately claimed to have been experiencing mental health problems and hearing voices.
He made threats to launch a gun attack on the Saco National Guard facility and was “reported to have been committed to mental health facility for two weeks during summer 2023 and subsequently released”.
According to the U.S. Army, Card had enlisted in 2002 and was a petroleum supply specialist in the Army Reserve. He was a sergeant.
According to the police, the shooting at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley started just before 7 p.m. They learned about a gunshot at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, which was roughly three miles (5 km) distant, shortly after that.
“In a split second your world gets turn upside down for no good reason,” Schemengees posted on its Facebook page. “How can we make any sense of this.”
“None of this seems real, but unfortunately it is,” he mentioned. “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.”
