New Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson calls for ‘prayer’ and Biden’s AG Merrick Garland calls mass shootings ‘routine’ as politicians from both sides of the aisle respond to Maine bowling alley horror

New House Speaker Mike Johnson called for time for “prayer” after the mass shooting in Maine, while Attorney General Merrick Garland said police were fully involved in the search for the suspect, who remains at large.

Lawmakers and officials on both sides of the aisle spoke after Wednesday night’s deadly shooting that left at least 16 people dead at the Sparetime Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille in Lewiston. And according to Maine Governor Janet Mills, 13 people were injured.

Johnson said, “our hearts go out to everyone involved.”

“This is a dark time in America. We have a lot of problems and we are very hopeful and prayerful. Prayer is appropriate at a time like this,” he told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday morning.

‘So that is the statement this morning on behalf of the entire House of Representatives. Everyone wants this to end, and I’ll leave it at that.’

Speaker Mike Johnson: ‘This is a dark time in America’

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell called for the suspect to be brought to trial.

“I was devastated when I heard the news of a fatal shooting in Lewiston, Maine last night. “I know the entire Senate stands with our colleagues, Senator Collins and Senator King, as they help their state formulate its response,” he said.

“We pray especially for the victims of this senseless violence, for their families and for the law enforcement personnel who are working tirelessly to save lives and bring the suspect to justice.”

The suspect remained at large overnight, leading to a massive manhunt and lockdown across the state.

Police have named Robert Card, 40, a former Army reserve firearms instructor, as a person of interest. Card is from Bowdoin and his car was found abandoned in Lisbon shortly after the shooting.

The FBI, ATF and U.S. Marshals are providing investigative support and victim services in connection with the shootings in Maine, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement Thursday.

“I am heartbroken for those who have lost loved ones, for those who were injured and for the entire Lewiston community,” he said. “No community should have to endure the horrific mass shootings that have become routine in our country.”

Author Stephen King responded to the shooting in a pair of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday morning.

“The shootings happened less than 50 miles from where I live. I went to high school in Lisbon. They’re the rapid-fire killing machines, folks. This is madness in the name of freedom. Stop electing apologists for murder,” he wrote.

The FBI, ATF and US Marshals are providing investigative support, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement

An American flag flies at half-mast after a deadly mass shooting in Lewiston, Lisbon Falls, Maine

Police have named Robert Card, 40, a former Army reserve firearms instructor, as a person of interest. Card is from Bowdoin and his car was found abandoned in Lisbon shortly after the shooting

Maine does not require a permit to carry guns, and the state has a long-standing culture of gun ownership tied to hunting and shooting traditions.

The gunman used an AR-15-style rifle to open fire at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley around 7 p.m. Wednesday before targeting Schemengees Bar and Grille, about four miles away.

The suspect is “considered armed and dangerous,” Mills said at a news conference Thursday morning.

The shooting in the state’s second-largest city is the 36th mass murder in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

A police bulletin describes the suspect, Card, as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training center in Saco, Maine.

The document, which was distributed to law enforcement officials, stated that Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023.

It did not provide details of his treatment or condition, but said Card reported hearing “voices and threats to shoot up the military base.”