26-10-2023 (MAINE) Lewiston, Maine was marred by multiple mass shootings on Wednesday, resulting in a staggering death toll of 22 individuals and leaving between 50 to 60 wounded. These heart-wrenching events unfolded at various locations within the city, including a local bowling alley, a bar, and a Walmart distribution centre, as reported by a Lewiston police source cited by NBC News.
Lewiston’s Police Department, via their official Facebook page, has identified a person of interest in the catastrophic mass shooting. The individual in question is a 40-year-old named Robert Card. Authorities have issued a grave warning to the public, labelling Card as “armed and dangerous.”
Previously, law enforcement agencies had shared three photographs of an unidentified suspect, who appeared to be wielding a semi-automatic rifle. Additionally, an image of a white SUV was released, seeking the public’s assistance in identifying either the suspect or the vehicle.
These are pictures of the mass shooting suspect in Lewiston, Maine put out by local law enforcement. Over a dozen are feared dead and many more injured. Police stress this man is still at large. pic.twitter.com/KzjoW2XFil
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) October 26, 2023
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office also joined the effort by sharing pictures of the suspect. These images depicted a bearded man donning a brown hoodie jacket and jeans, holding a rifle in a firing position.
A bulletin from state police has shed light on the individual identified as a person of interest in this tragic event. Robert Card, according to the bulletin, possesses a military background as a firearms instructor and recently received treatment at a mental health facility. Although the bulletin, reviewed by The Associated Press, does not reveal specific details about his treatment or current condition, it does highlight Card’s training as a firearms instructor at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility based in Maine. Furthermore, it mentions that Card spent two weeks in a mental health facility during the summer of 2023.
Disturbingly, the bulletin suggests that Card had experienced auditory hallucinations and made threats regarding a potential shooting at a military training base in Saco, Maine.
As of now, law enforcement authorities are vigorously searching for Robert Card as a person of interest linked to the Wednesday shootings. However, their attempts to contact Card via a telephone number listed in public records proved futile, as the number was no longer in service.
The Maine state police urgently issued an alert on the social media platform X, stating, “There is an active shooter in Lewiston. We ask people to shelter in place. Please stay inside your home with the doors locked. Law enforcement is currently investigating at multiple locations.”
The Sun Journal, citing a Lewiston police spokesperson, reported that the shootings transpired at three separate locations: the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley, Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, and a Walmart distribution centre. The bowling alley is situated approximately four miles (6.5 km) north of the bar, while the distribution centre is approximately a mile and a half (2.5 km) south of the bar.
The Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston released a statement acknowledging the mass casualty event and the presence of a mass shooter. The hospital is collaborating with other medical facilities in the area to provide essential care for the wounded.
Lewiston, a city located in Androscoggin County, is a former textile hub with a population of roughly 38,000 residents. Positioned in southern Maine, it lies approximately halfway between the state capital, Augusta, and Portland, the largest city in the state.
In response to this tragic event, President Joe Biden has been briefed and will continue to receive updates, according to a U.S. official in Washington. President Biden personally spoke with Maine Governor Janet Mills, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and Congressman Jared Golden over the phone, offering his condolences and federal support in the wake of this devastating attack, as reported by the White House.
If the current death toll of 22 is confirmed, this tragedy would stand as the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since at least August 2019. During that period, a gunman unleashed a horrific attack at an El Paso Walmart, employing an AK-47 rifle to claim the lives of 23 people, an event classified as an anti-Hispanic hate crime by prosecutors, as per the Gun Violence Archive.
It is noteworthy that the number of fatalities resulting from this incident would rival Maine’s annual homicide count, which has typically ranged from 16 to 29 since 2012, according to data from the Maine State Police.
The Gun Violence Archive has documented a concerning increase in shootings involving four or more people since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. As of July, there were 647 such incidents in 2022, with an estimated projection of 679 for 2023.
The deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history remains the 2017 massacre in Las Vegas, where a gunman fired upon a country music festival from a high-rise hotel, tragically claiming the lives of 58 individuals.
From the Lewiston Maine Police Department:
“Law Enforcement is attempting to locate Robert Card 4/4/1983, as a person of interest regarding the mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Sparetime Recreation this evening.
CARD should be considered armed and dangerous. Please contact… pic.twitter.com/5fEfzSMOyU
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) October 26, 2023
