How recently detached Army Reservist Robert Card killed at least 22 people in just one hour during a gunstorm from a bowling alley to a bar
A gunman has killed at least 22 people and left 60 injured in a small town in Maine in what is believed to be the deadliest mass shooting in the US this year.
Army reservist and firearms instructor Robert Card, 40, is currently being hunted as a suspect in the fatal shooting by state and federal police.
Police have warned members of the public to stay away from Card because he is “armed and dangerous” and has a history of mental health problems.
He allegedly killed and injured dozens of people when he took an AR-15 rifle with a laser optic attachment to two locations in Lewiston, a small city of about 36,000 residents, at around 7 p.m. local time last night and shot at customers at both locations.
The two shootings took place at Sparetime Recreation, a restaurant and bowling alley, and Schemengees, a bar and grill.
A gunman has killed at least 22 people and injured 60 in the town of Lewiston, Maine. Police in Lewiston are searching for the suspect, pictured at the Sparetime Recreation Center. The first call came in for Sparetime at 7:15 p.m
The gunman, wearing a brown hoodie, is seen in Lewiston on Wednesday evening
The rampage started at 6.56pm and police arrived at Sparetime at 7.15pm. It is currently unknown which location was hit first.
The two locations are about four miles apart, but it only takes nine minutes to drive from one to the other.
Shortly after the shooting took place, horrifying images of customers fleeing for their lives were published.
An hour later, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released chilling photos taken by CCTV cameras of the gunman holding his gun as he entered Sparetime Recreation, wearing a brown hoodie and blue jeans.
A Facebook post said: “Law enforcement in Androscoggin County is investigating two active shooter events. We encourage all businesses to close their doors and/or close while we investigate. The suspect is still at large.”
People are seen running from the scene of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine
The crowd dispersed after shots rang out Wednesday evening
Robert Card, a 40-year-old Army reservist and firearms instructor, was named Wednesday as a suspect in the killings of 22 people in Lewiston, Maine.
At the same time, shots were reported at a nearby Walmart warehouse, which is less than a mile southeast of Schemengees, but a Walmart spokesperson later confirmed that no shooting had occurred at the facility.
Three hours later, Robert was named as a suspect in the shooting.
30 minutes later, at 11:30 PM local time, city police released photos of a white SUV believed to belong to Card.
Police said the car was found abandoned on a jetty in the city of Lisbon, about seven miles away.
Lisbon authorities have since ordered residents to shelter in place as the major hunt for the suspected gunman continues.
The city of Auburn, across the Androscoggin River, has also warned residents to stay indoors.
Dozens of frightened and distressed residents were rushed by officers to a reunification center at Auburn Middle School
Police have released a photo of this car that they believe belongs to Card. Sheriffs said at 11:20 p.m. Wednesday the car was found abandoned in the city of Lisbon, about seven miles away.
“ALERT: There is an active shooter incident underway in the city of Lewiston,” they wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“ALL residents of Auburn and Lewiston are urged to shelter in place, lock all doors and report suspicious persons and activity to 9-1-1.
“Most businesses in the area have closed/are closing.”
Card, from Bowdoin, Maine, had a history of mental health problems and previously reported hearing voices and threatening to shoot up his National Guard base in Saco, Maine, according to the Maine Information and Analysis Center – a division of the state of Maine . Police.
He was admitted to a mental health facility for two weeks over the summer and reportedly recently lost his job.
More information about Card and the shooting is expected to be released later today as Maine State Police will hold a press conference at 10.30am local time (3.30pm UK time).
Police officers surround an armored law enforcement vehicle parked in the parking lot of the high school gymnasium in Lisbon
Law enforcement vehicles drive through the parking lot of the Lisbon high school gymnasium
The shooting has rocked the state.
Maine has fairly high levels of gun ownership and relatively lax laws: About half of households own firearms, according to research cited by Maine Public Radio last year.
There is no independent background check, no red flag law to identify those at extreme risk of gun violence, no requirement that convicted domestic abusers surrender their weapons, and no permit requirements for concealed weapons.
As a certified firearms instructor, Card would have had no problem obtaining weapons.
But unlike many states with such a large supply, there are relatively few fatal shootings each year: 89 percent of gun deaths are suicides, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.
“There are no big cities in Maine,” said Rep. Chellie Pingree, a Democrat.
“So this isn’t like being in Dallas or New York City. It’s a very close-knit community, despite being a city, and I’m sure there are a huge number of grieving families.”