A sweeping dragnet effort is underway on the ground and in the air as law enforcement partners fan out in full force in their search for the suspected Lewiston, Maine gunman, Robert Card.
At least 18 people were killed in the mass shooting Wednesday evening, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said. 13 others are injured.
The family of mass shooting suspect is cooperating with authorities, law enforcement officials briefed on the investigation told reporters.
The family is laying out an account of a deeply troubled person, the sources said, bolstering earlier accounts of mental health treatment, voices in his head and alleged threats to shoot up a National Guard facility.
Card’s sister told investigators she thought Card might have been looking for an ex-girlfriend at the shooting locations: a bowling alley and a bar, the sources said.
An arrest warrant for Card has been issued for eight counts of murder, police said.
More than 350 law enforcement personnel are involved in the search.
Evidence response teams are already on the ground, processing the “very extensive scenes” where the shootings took place, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen said.
In these early stages, investigators are probing potential mental health issues Card may have had, and how he was in possession of a weapon.
A motive has also not been determined.
“I think those are all valid questions and certainly questions that we are looking into now, but not questions that we can answer today,” Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Public Safety Mike Sauschuck said.
Three people are in critical condition and five others are in stable condition, according to Dr. John Alexander, chief medical officer at Central Maine Health Care.
Two patients have been transported to other hospitals and two others have been discharged, he said.
Officials are also expanding a shelter-in-place advisory, as well as school closings.
“Please stay inside your homes while more than 100 investigators, both local and federal work to locate Robert Card who is a person of interest in the Lewiston shootings,” Maine State Police posted on social media.
Bates College, a liberal arts school in Lewiston, Maine, remains on lockdown with students ordered to shelter in place as the manhunt for the mass shooter intensifies.
The shooting unfolded in two locations: a bowling alley where a children’s league was taking place and a local bar, officials said.
Police responded to at least two locations in the state’s second-largest city.
“There are multiple scenes in the city, to include multiple hospitals. A lot of witnesses we are speaking with,” said Mike Sauschuck, with Maine Department of Public Safety.
Authorities say Card has a history of military services, is a firearms instructor and was treated at a mental-health facility over the summer after allegedly saying that he was hearing voices.
The Army has confirmed that Card has been an Army Reservist since December 2002. His current rank is as a sergeant first class and his job is a petroleum supply specialist.
“If people see him, they should not approach Card or not make contact with him in any way,” Sauschuck urged.
The first call came in around 7 p.m. from a bowling alley that was hosting a “youth night” for a kids’ bowling league.
One witness said she heard a loud bang before her father — a retired cop — corralled her and her family into a corner.
“I was laying on top of my daughter. My mother was laying on top of me,” Riley Dumont said.
Dumont was bowling with her 11-year-old daughter when she heard several shots. During the chaos, she said she saw three or four bodies on the ground.
Police said during the Thursday news conference that there were six male victims and one female victim killed there.
In a statement, the bowling alley said, “We are devastated for our community and our staff. We lost some amazing and whole hearted people from our bowling family and community last night.”
The second shooting scene was at a local bar and restaurant about 4 miles from the bowling alley.
Police said there were eight male victims fatally shot at the second location, seven inside and one outside.
Three victims died in hospitals.
Police said eight victims had been identified so far, but did not immediately release their names.
Bob Violette, a youth bowling coach, was killed at the bowling alley, family and friends said.
Tricia Asselin was also killed at the bowling alley, family said.
The manager at Schemengees Bar & Grill, Joseph Walker, was killed, his family said.
Steven Vozzella and Bill Bracket, part of a gathering of Deaf people playing cornhole at Schemengees Bar & Grill, were also killed, their family said.
Card is now on the run, triggering a shelter-in-place order in Lewiston, as well as in neighboring Lisbon, Maine, where police say they found a white Subaru that is believed to be owned by Card. The car was seen with the door open and lights on.
Sources say hundreds of federal, state and local law enforcement are assisting in this active investigation. Police as far south as New Hampshire are setting up roadblocks in an effort to confine Card in case he’s on the run.
Authorities have also released surveillance images showing the gunman at one of the shooting locations.
“It looks like, to me, an AR15 or some version of it,” said contributor and former FBI agent, Brad Garrett. “Looks like to me he has some kind of extended magazine. Some of which you can shoot 25-30 rounds on a standard magazine.”
President Joe Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland have been briefed.
Biden said in a statement Thursday, “Once again, our nation is in mourning after yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting.”
He said he’s “praying for the Americans who’ve lost their lives, for those still in critical care, and for the families, survivors, and community members enduring shock and grief.”
“Far too many Americans have now had a family member killed or injured as a result of gun violence. That is not normal, and we cannot accept it,” Biden said.
He said, while the nation has made progress on gun reform with “the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the two dozen executive actions I’ve taken, and the establishment of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, it’s simply not enough.”
“Far too many Americans have now had a family member killed or injured as a result of gun violence. That is not normal, and we cannot accept it,” Biden said.
He said, while the nation has made progress on gun reform with “the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the two dozen executive actions I’ve taken, and the establishment of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, it’s simply not enough.”
Biden said he’s urging Republicans in Congress to “work with us to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to enact universal background checks, to require safe storage of guns, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers.”
“This is the very least we owe every American who will now bear the scars — physical and mental — of this latest attack,” he said.
The White House has lowered the flag on the roof to half-staff in the aftermath of the shooting.
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a statement, “I am heartbroken for those who have lost loved ones, for those who have been injured, and for the entire Lewiston community.
“The FBI, ATF, and U.S. Marshals are on the ground to provide investigative support and victims assistance services to our law enforcement partners in Maine.
“We stand ready to provide any support that our state and local partners need.
“No community should have to endure the horrific mass shootings that have become routine in our country.”
Lewiston is a relatively small city of 36,000 people, which experts say could be an advantage to investigators.
“I think it really increases the odds that someone knows who this shooter is because you’re gonna probably have survivors at each location, I presume, so with that, you can start tracking this guy,” Garrett said.
Authorities have not revealed a motive. Mills released a statement urging all people in the area to follow the directions of state and local law enforcement. Lisbon and Bowdoin schools have also been cancelled for Thursday.