Ghost town Maine: Schools, stores and restaurants are among businesses closing their doors as manhunt for mass murderer Robert Card escalates
The streets of Lewiston, Maine turned into an eerie ghost town after a horror mass shooting that left at least 18 people dead.
In the aftermath, several shelter-in-place orders have been implemented in the city and surrounding areas, with most schools and local businesses shuttered while suspected gunman Robert Card, 40, remains on the run.
Terrifying images have emerged of the small town where the shooting broke out, where the streets are populated only by tactical law enforcement crews and vehicles.
As the streets fell silent, some residents posted heart-shaped cutouts with positive messages such as “to my friends” and “to my city” on trees on sidewalks.
The streets of Lewiston, Maine turned into a creepy ghost town after a horror mass shooting that left at least 18 people dead
Heart-shaped cutouts with messages of positivity adorn trees in downtown Lewiston, Maine, on Thursday
Terrifying images have emerged of the town where the shooting broke out
A tactical police unit makes its way through the street during the search for mass shooting suspect Robert Card
A woman hugs a law enforcement officer as they investigate outside the scene of a mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille
A sign of support can be seen above a deserted street in Lewiston
Police are still searching for the alleged shooter as the streets of Lewiston remain deserted until officials can ensure the safety of residents.
A multi-agency manhunt is underway for suspected gunman Robert Card, 40
The gunman’s car was found abandoned in Lisbon shortly after the shooting, with the investigation reportedly focusing on a body of water through which he may have escaped.
Audio from police dispatchers suggested the suspect may have crossed the border into Massachusetts, but Massachusetts State Police have said that claim is unsubstantiated.
Card’s family have begged him to turn himself in, while his sister-in-law claims he heard voices at the bowling alley and bar where he then launched his deadly attack.
Survivors and relatives have begun to speak out after the bloody massacre at Schemengees Bar and Grille and the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, and names of victims are beginning to emerge.
The rampage left at least 18 dead and 13 injured, making it the deadliest mass shooting of 2023.
The shooting is the 34th mass killing involving more than four victims in the US this year. Seven of those killed at the bowling alley. Eight were found in the Schemengees bar and three others later died in hospital.
Messages of support have popped up in heart-shaped cutouts across the city
Police check a roadblock during the search for the mass shooting suspect
An aerial view of Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, one of two locations where the gunman opened fire
A view of empty streets after curfew is declared at Androscoggin and Sagadahoc Streets
At least 18 people were shot dead and another 13 were injured in the massacre
A tactical police unit makes its way through the street during the ongoing search
Maine Governor Janet Mills confirmed the death toll during a news conference Thursday morning, adding that Card is considered armed and dangerous.
“This city did not deserve this terrible attack on its citizens, its peace of mind and its sense of security,” she said.
Card is wanted on eight counts of murder as the remaining 10 victims have not yet been identified. He was taken by police for an evaluation earlier this year after military officials became concerned that he was acting erratically, a U.S. official told AP.
Nine victims of the 18 deaths have been officially named, the first emerging as a retired mechanic who was devoted to his grandchildren, Bob Violette, 76.
Violette was killed in the massacre that broke out Wednesday night at the Just In Time Recreation bowling alley, formally known as Sparetime, and Schemengee’s Bar and Grille, according to his daughter-in-law Cassandra.
The second confirmed victim is Tricia Asselin, 53, who worked at the bowling alley.
Family members confirmed the third victim was 57-year-old Joseph Walker, a bar manager at Schemengee’s.
And Joshua Seal, 36, a father of four, was also pronounced dead by his wife, alongside cornhole player Bryan MacFarlane, 40.
The streets are nearly empty as people take shelter after a mass shooting and subsequent manhunt
Even late in the afternoon, people have still left the downtown area with shelter in place
Police are still looking for a suspect in the shooting, Robert Card, which reportedly killed 18 people
A sign on a Starbucks restaurant in Lewiston announces it is temporarily closed
According to his daughter-in-law Cassandra, retired mechanic Bob Violette, 76, was one of the victims of the massacre. He was an avid bowler and played with his wife in a couple’s bowling league when they retired
Tricia Asselin, 53, the second confirmed victim, worked part-time at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston. She was bowling when the gunman entered and opened fire
Family members confirmed the third victim was 57-year-old Joseph Walker, a bar manager at Schemengee’s
Joshua Seal, 36, (right) with his wife Elizabeth Seal
The fifth named victim of the massacre was Bryan MacFarlane, 40
The fifth named victim was Bryan MacFarlane, 40, who was playing cornhole with his deaf friends. Arthur Strout, 41, and Ron Morin were also pronounced dead by family and friends.
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40, and Steve Vozzella, 45, were also identified as victims by their family, friends and co-workers.
As the manhunt for Card continued, a local resident who claimed to know him claimed he was living in a compound with a gun fanatic who was shunned by neighbors.
Liam Kent, who lives near Card’s home in Bowdoin, told The Messenger that the community knew the suspect and his relatives as “armed enthusiasts who lived in ‘basically a compound.’
‘They were shooting guns all the time, you could hear them every day after school. It looked like clockwork,” Kent claimed, adding that he once saw Card “covered in blood with a gun on his back (and) a giant grin on his face” after going deer hunting.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers are searching for Card, a petroleum resources specialist with no military involvement. The suspect received involuntary psychiatric treatment this summer after reportedly hearing voices and having thoughts about hurting other soldiers while training at Camp Smith in New York, a military source told CNN.