In the past, state and local police have stated that there was an active shooter on Wednesday night and that they are looking for a suspect who is still at large, but they have not disclosed the number of casualties.
In addition to a photo of a white SUV, the Lewiston Police Department released three images of the suspect brandishing what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle and asked for assistance in identifying either.
Additionally, photos of the suspect—a bearded man wearing jeans and a brown hoodie jacket—were released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office. He was seen holding a rifle in the firing position.
The Maine State Police posted on social media platform X, saying, "There is an active shooter in Lewiston." "We request that people stay put. Please lock your doors and remain inside your house. Currently, law enforcement is looking into several different places."
Three distinct establishments were the scene of shootings, according to The Sun Journal, which cited a Lewiston police spokesperson: a Walmart distribution center, Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, and the bowling alley Sparetime Recreation.
The distribution center is located approximately a mile and a half (2.5 km) south of the bar, and the bowling alley is approximately four miles (6.5 km) north of the bar.
In a statement, the Lewiston-based Central Maine Medical Center stated that it was "responding to a mass casualty, mass shooter incident" and that it was working with nearby hospitals to transport patients.
Portland, the largest city in Maine, is about 35 miles (56 km) north of Lewiston.
Approximately halfway between Augusta, the state capital, and Portland, the largest city in the state, is southern Maine's Lewiston, a 38,000-person town in Androscoggin County and a former center of the textile industry.
According to a U.S. official in Washington, President Joe Biden has been briefed and will continue to receive updates.
Following the shooting in Lewiston, the president personally spoke over the phone with Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, Congressman Jared Golden, and Maine Governor Janet Mills. The White House said that the president offered full federal support.
If the confirmed death toll of 22 is accurate, the shooting would be the deadliest in the history of the country since at least August 2019, when, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a gunman used an AK-47 rifle to open fire on shoppers at a Walmart in El Paso, killing 23 people in what prosecutors called an anti-Hispanic hate crime.
The 22 deaths would also be comparable to the average number of homicides that Maine sees in a given year.
As of 2012, the Maine State Police reported that the yearly count of homicides in the state has varied from 16 to 29.
Data from the archive shows that since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, there have been a staggering number of shootings in the United States in which four or more people have been shot. As of July, 647 of these shootings had taken place in 2022, and 679 were predicted to occur in 2023 based on trends.
In 2017, a gunman opened fire on a country music festival in Las Vegas from a high-rise hotel perch, leaving 58 people dead in the deadliest mass shooting in American history.
Mills and the state's congressional delegation had a phone conversation with President Joe Biden, who offered "full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack," according to a White House statement.
Superintendent Jake Langlais announced that local schools will be closed on Thursday and advised people to either seek safety or remain indoors. He also advised people to keep their loved ones close by. Take them in."
Lewiston city officials are not commenting on the shooting, according to Ange Amores, a spokesperson for the city. Amores stated that the public would be updated on Wednesday night at a news conference that the Maine State Police planned to hold, most likely at city hall.
"Deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends, and neighbors," stated independent senator from Maine Angus King, who added that he was keeping an eye on the situation. When Thursday afternoon's Senate final vote is held, the senator will head straight home to Maine, according to King's office.
Following the gunshots that left at least 16 people dead on Wednesday night, law enforcement officials received the police intelligence bulletin, which The Associated Press reviewed.
Robert Card allegedly received his firearms instruction at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Maine, according to the bulletin. According to the record, during the summer of 2023, Card spent two weeks in a mental health facility. About his condition or course of treatment, it did not go into specifics.
Card allegedly claimed to have heard voices at the military training base in Saco, Maine, and made threats to carry out a shooting there, according to the document.
Police were looking for Card in relation to the shootings on Wednesday. A phone number that was on file for Card but not in use was unavailable.
Card was identified as a person of interest in the shooting by Lewiston Police, who also stated that he should be regarded as dangerous and armed in a Facebook post.
At least sixteen people were killed in Wednesday night's shootings at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, which left the second-largest city in the state in a state of chaos. Authorities ordered citizens and business owners to stay indoors and off the streets, but the suspect remained at large.
Dozens more had been injured, according to two law enforcement sources who spoke with The Associated Press.
The officials spoke to AP under oath because they were not permitted to publicly discuss specifics of the ongoing investigation.
In a previous Facebook post, Lewiston Police stated that they were responding to an active shooter situation at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley located approximately 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away, and Schemengees Bar and Grille. On its Facebook page, the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office published two images of the suspect that showed a gunman entering a building while holding a gun above their shoulder.
Police asked people to "please stay off the roads to allow emergency responders access to the hospitals."
Central Maine Medical Center posted on its website that employees were "responding to a mass casualty, mass shooter incident" and were working with nearby hospitals to take in patients. In the emergency room, a woman answering the phone stated that the hospital was under lockdown and that no more details could be released.
Legends Sports Bar and Grill owner Melinda Small said that when a customer heard about the shooting at the bowling alley less than a quarter of a mile away at around 7 p.m., her staff promptly locked their doors and moved all 25 patrons and staff members away from the doors. The police eventually flooded the road, and four people at a time were led out of the building by a policeman. It's safe for everyone in the bar.
To be honest, I'm shocked. Everyone is safe, which is a blessing, as my team responded promptly, Small told The Associated Press. But at the same time, I'm devastated for this community and everything that everyone is going through. All I feel is numbness.
Just after 8 p.m., the sheriff's office announced that there were "two active shooter events" under investigation by law enforcement, prompting the alert for Lewiston. About ten o'clock at night, authorities released an update regarding their search.
The statement advised people to stay away from the area until the authorities gave the all-clear. "Look for other ways around the area and any hiccups. If you are already working in the impacted area, follow all guidelines provided by local authorities, such as the shelter-in-place directive.
Posts
