Manhunt underway after at least 22 killed in mass shootings across 2 locations in Lewiston, Maine
A manhunt for a gunman is underway after at least 22 people were killed and dozens more were injured in two mass shootings at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, that sent families running, forced a local hospital to call in off-duty staff for backup and prompted calls in three cities to stay indoors Wednesday night, authorities said.
Robert Card, 40, is being sought as a person of interest in the shootings at the two locations, Lewiston police said around 11 p.m. ET, adding he “should be considered armed and dangerous.”
“If people see him, they should not approach Card or make contact with him in any way,” Maine’s Department of Public Safety commissioner Mike Sauschuck said in Wednesday night news conference.
Card is a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserves, law enforcement officials in Maine told CNN. Card had recently made threats to carry out a shooting at a National Guard facility in Saco, Maine, and also reported mental health issues, including hearing voices, the officials said.
Sauschuck declined to provide additional details on the person of interest, saying “we’re not prepared to go into his background.”
The shooting rampage began shortly before 7 p.m. and fueled calls for everyone in Lewiston to shelter in place as hundreds of officers joined the search for the gunman. Lewiston police shared images of a man walking into what appears to be a bowling alley holding a high-powered assault-style rifle.
The active shooting incidents were reported at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley on Mollison Way, and about 4 miles away at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant on Lincoln Street, according to Lewiston police.
Video obtained by CNN shows people running away from Sparetime Recreation Wednesday night as police cruisers responded to the scene. Different video from outside the bowling alley shows a person on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance.
Central Maine Medical Center said it’s “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event,” and coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.
“There are multiple scenes in the city to include multiple hospitals, multiple follow ups, a lot of witnesses we’re speaking with and a lot of leads,” Sauschuck said. “The general public has been very cooperative, and very forthcoming with information.”
Sauschuck said it’s a “fluid situation” and did not provide a number on how many have been killed as of early Thursday, but Lewiston City Councillor Robert McCarthy told CNN 22 people had been killed, citing a city administrator.
A “vehicle of interest” was found 8 miles from Lewiston in the town of Lisbon Wednesday night, prompting shelter-in-place-orders for that area as well, Sauschuck said.
Lewiston police had earlier shared an image of a small, white SUV with a front bumper that was believed to be painted black. Maine State Police confirmed to CNN the image is of the suspect’s car.
The violence on Wednesday added to a list of 565 mass shootings reported across the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit and CNN define mass shootings as those in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said he is “heartbroken for our city and our people.”
“Lewiston is known for our strength and grit and we will need both in the days to come,” Sheline said in a statement to CNN Wednesday.
Lewiston Public Schools and multiple nearby school districts canceled classes Thursday as the search continued for the gunman.
“Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them. Our prayers go out to those who lost someone tonight. Our prayers go out to all those working to stop further loss of life,” Lewiston Public Schools said in a post.
People sent running out of bowling alley
The shooting injected fear into Lewiston, the state’s second-largest city located about 36 miles north of Portland.
Nichoel Wyman Arel was on her way home with her daughter from a Girl Scout meeting when she saw police lights and ambulances around the bowling alley and people running. At least one person looked to be covered in blood, she told CNN’s Laura Coates.
Arel said they saw officers patting people down as they came out of the bowling alley.
“There were kids. Looking back, that was probably the hardest part is seeing just families; families pouring out of there,” Arel said. “And knowing that that happened in there while they were just probably trying to have a family night.”
When she got home, Arel said that she locked up the house, including windows. Arel said that her daughter “was scared somebody was going to come into our home.”
Lewiston City Councilor Robert McCarthy lives half a mile away from where one of the shootings happened and said what’s happening is “a real scary event.”
“We locked all the doors. We grabbed the guns,” he told CNN’s Abby Phillip Wednesday night. “We’re just waiting to hear that they catch the individual or individuals that did this.”
Officials in the neighboring city of Auburn, less than 2 miles west of Lewiston, also urged residents to shelter in place due to the active shooter situation, according to a post on X, formerly Twitter.
A reunification center was set up at a school in Auburn for those in Lewiston looking for their loved ones, Sauschuck said.
Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque said there was a lot of fear and panic among residents at the reunification center, and witnesses to the shootings included teenagers.
“You can train for this but you can never be completely prepared,” Levesque said, “It’s an all hands on deck situation.”
Timeline
• Around 7 p.m.: Two shootings are reported in Lewiston with multiple casualties, according to Sauschuck.
• 8 p.m.: Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office releases photos of the armed suspect and says it’s investigating two active shooter incidents. The agency encourages “all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate.”
• 8:09 p.m.: Maine State Police says there’s “an active shooter in Lewiston” and tells people to stay inside with their doors locked. “Law enforcement is currently investigating at multiple locations,” the agency added.
• 8:26 p.m.: The neighboring City of Auburn urges all residents to shelter in place.
• 8:53 p.m.: Lewiston police identify the shooting locations as Schemengees and Sparetime Recreation.
• 9:17 p.m.: Lewiston police release the image of a white vehicle, asking members of the public to contact them if they see it. Maine State Police told CNN the image is of the suspect’s car.
• 10:18 p.m.: Lewiston City Councilor Robert McCarthy tells CNN the death toll was at 22 people killed.
• 10:52 p.m.: Police on social media name Robert Card as a “person of interest” in the shootings and release his photo.
• Around 11:30 p.m.: Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck says in a news conference that a “vehicle of interest” was found in Lisbon, but the person of interest remains at large.
• 11:34 p.m.: Lisbon officials say all town offices will be closed on Thursday and tell people to keep sheltering in place.
The FBI office in Boston said it’s ready to assist local authorities as they respond to the mass shootings.
“The FBI Boston Division continues to coordinate with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners in Maine and we stand ready to assist with any available resources they need, including evidence response, investigative and tactical support, as well as victim assistance,” the FBI in Boston said in a statement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Boston is also among agencies responding to the shootings, according to a post from the agency.
President Joe Biden spoke by phone with a number of Maine lawmakers in the wake of the mass shootings in Lewiston, and “offered full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” the White House said in a statement.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
CNN’s Jamiel Lynch, Josh Campbell, Chris Boyette and Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
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