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18 people were killed and 13 were injured after shootings occurred Wednesday evening at a bowling alley and a restaurant in Lewiston, Maine. A suspect in the shootings is at large and authorities continue to look for him on Thursday morning. An arrest warrant for multiple counts of murder has been issued for the suspect. Maine’s governor says at least 18 people were killed and 13 were injured in shootings in Maine, and state police have issued a murder warrant for the suspect, who is still at large. Gov. Janet Mills made the remarks at a press conference Thursday.A man shot and killed the victims at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes Thursday under a shelter-in-place advisory. Watch live coverage from WMTW in the video player above.Mills said the shooting suspect, Robert Card, 40, is considered armed and dangerous.“This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security,” Mills said.Maine State Police Col. William Ross said police have issued a warrant for Card on eight counts of murder. He said those counts will increase when the other 10 victims are identified. Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.Video below: Maine police on how Maine mass shootings unfoldedA document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base. A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service.Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss said the bowling alley shooting happened first.Earlier, Lewiston Police said that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles away. A number of parents and children were at Sparetime as part of a children’s bowling league. The bowling alley reacted to the incident on social media on Thursday saying, “None of this seems real, but unfortunately it is. 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. There are no words to fix this or make it better. We praying for everyone who has been affected by this horrific tragedy. We love you all and hold you close in our hearts.” “It’s a shock. It’s hard for me to explain,” Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque told WMTW at the reunification center. Levesque says victims of the shooting are people of all ages. Witnesses describe scene and lockdownA children’s bowling league was underway at the bowling alley when gunfire erupted, and kids are among the injured.Ten-year-old Zoey Levesque, who was there with her mother, told WMTW she was grazed by a bullet.”It’s scary,” she said. “I had never thought I’d grow up and get a bullet in my leg. And it’s just like, why? Why do people do this?”Video below: Maine Gov. Mills on mass shootings: ‘I’m so deeply saddened’Also in the bowling alley was Riley Dumont, who told ABC News that her daughter was bowling in a children’s bowling league when she heard several shots.”I heard a really loud bang. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but my dad looked at me,” Dumont said. “My dad is a retired police officer.”Dumont said her father saved the lives of many people, thanks to his quick action.”Next thing I know, he was just taking the group that we were in and just corralling us in the corner,” she said. “He put tables over us and just made sure we were safe. He just kind of went into action at that point. It felt like it lasted forever.””I kind of laid on top of (my daughter), and my mom was kind of on top of me. We had two other kids with us and two other mothers as well.” Another bowler, who identified himself only as Brandon, said he heard about 10 shots, thinking the first was a balloon popping.”I had my back turned to the door. And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon – he was holding a weapon – I just booked it,” he told The Associated Press.Video above: Man hid in bowling alley machinery during Maine mass shootingBrandon said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery. He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a middle school in the neighboring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.”I was putting on my bowling shoes when it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he said.The bowling alley is home to traditional tenpin bowling as well as candlepin, a variant of bowling found in New England. It’s located about 2 miles north of the Bates College campus, on the outskirts of downtown. The alley has a small bar and is popular for local bowling leagues and children’s parties.Photos released of suspectThe Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed the shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder. On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients. The hospital was locked down and police, some armed with rifles, stood by the entrances.Video above: Shelter in place order expanded amid manhuntMeanwhile, hospitals as far away as Portland, about 35 miles to the south, were on alert to potentially receive victims.An order for residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets of the city of 37,000 was extended Wednesday night from Lewiston to Lisbon, about 8 miles away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said.Biden and other leaders react Mills released a statement echoing instructions for people to shelter. She said she had been briefed on the situation and will remain in close contact with public safety officials.President Joe Biden spoke by phone to Mills and the state’s Senate and House members, offering “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” a White House statement said.On Thursday, Biden signed a proclamation ordering all flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and all other public buildings through Monday, “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence” in Lewiston, Maine.Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, said he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends and neighbors” and was monitoring the situation. King’s office said the senator would be headed directly home to Maine on the first flight possible.Local schools closed as manhunt continuesAfter the shooting, police, many armed with rifles, took up positions while the city descended into eerie quiet – punctuated by occasional sirens – as people hunkered down at home. Schools were closed Thursday in Lewiston, Lisbon and Auburn, as well as municipal offices in Lewiston.People there should shelter in place or seek safety, Superintendent Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them.”Video above: Family seeks answers after Maine shootingWednesday’s death toll was staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year.Maine doesn’t require permits to carry guns, and the state has a longstanding culture of gun ownership that is tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting.Some recent attempts by gun control advocates to tighten the state’s gun laws have failed. Proposals to require background checks for private gun sales and create a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases failed earlier this year. Proposals that focused on school security and banning bump stocks failed in 2019.State residents have also voted down some attempts to tighten gun laws in Maine. A proposal to require background checks for gun sales failed in a 2016 public vote.___Associated Press journalists Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, Michael Balsamo in New York, Darlene Superville in Washington, Michael Casey in Boston and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
- 18 people were killed and 13 were injured after shootings occurred Wednesday evening at a bowling alley and a restaurant in Lewiston, Maine.
- A suspect in the shootings is at large and authorities continue to look for him on Thursday morning.
- An arrest warrant for multiple counts of murder has been issued for the suspect.
Maine’s governor says at least 18 people were killed and 13 were injured in shootings in Maine, and state police have issued a murder warrant for the suspect, who is still at large. Gov. Janet Mills made the remarks at a press conference Thursday.
A man shot and killed the victims at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes Thursday under a shelter-in-place advisory.
Watch live coverage from WMTW in the video player above.
Mills said the shooting suspect, Robert Card, 40, is considered armed and dangerous.
“This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security,” Mills said.
Maine State Police Col. William Ross said police have issued a warrant for Card on eight counts of murder. He said those counts will increase when the other 10 victims are identified.
Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.
Video below: Maine police on how Maine mass shootings unfolded
A document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base. A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service.
Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss said the bowling alley shooting happened first.
Earlier, Lewiston Police said that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles away. A number of parents and children were at Sparetime as part of a children’s bowling league.
The bowling alley reacted to the incident on social media on Thursday saying, “None of this seems real, but unfortunately it is. 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. There are no words to fix this or make it better. We praying for everyone who has been affected by this horrific tragedy. We love you all and hold you close in our hearts.”
“It’s a shock. It’s hard for me to explain,” Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque told WMTW at the reunification center. Levesque says victims of the shooting are people of all ages.
Witnesses describe scene and lockdown
A children’s bowling league was underway at the bowling alley when gunfire erupted, and kids are among the injured.
Ten-year-old Zoey Levesque, who was there with her mother, told WMTW she was grazed by a bullet.
“It’s scary,” she said. “I had never thought I’d grow up and get a bullet in my leg. And it’s just like, why? Why do people do this?”
Video below: Maine Gov. Mills on mass shootings: ‘I’m so deeply saddened’
Also in the bowling alley was Riley Dumont, who told ABC News that her daughter was bowling in a children’s bowling league when she heard several shots.
“I heard a really loud bang. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but my dad looked at me,” Dumont said. “My dad is a retired police officer.”
Dumont said her father saved the lives of many people, thanks to his quick action.
“Next thing I know, he was just taking the group that we were in and just corralling us in the corner,” she said. “He put tables over us and just made sure we were safe. He just kind of went into action at that point. It felt like it lasted forever.”
“I kind of laid on top of (my daughter), and my mom was kind of on top of me. We had two other kids with us and two other mothers as well.”
Another bowler, who identified himself only as Brandon, said he heard about 10 shots, thinking the first was a balloon popping.
“I had my back turned to the door. And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon – he was holding a weapon – I just booked it,” he told The Associated Press.
Video above: Man hid in bowling alley machinery during Maine mass shooting
Brandon said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery. He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a middle school in the neighboring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.
“I was putting on my bowling shoes when it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he said.
The bowling alley is home to traditional tenpin bowling as well as candlepin, a variant of bowling found in New England. It’s located about 2 miles north of the Bates College campus, on the outskirts of downtown. The alley has a small bar and is popular for local bowling leagues and children’s parties.
Photos released of suspect
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed the shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.
On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients. The hospital was locked down and police, some armed with rifles, stood by the entrances.
Video above: Shelter in place order expanded amid manhunt
Meanwhile, hospitals as far away as Portland, about 35 miles to the south, were on alert to potentially receive victims.
An order for residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets of the city of 37,000 was extended Wednesday night from Lewiston to Lisbon, about 8 miles away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said.
Biden and other leaders react
Mills released a statement echoing instructions for people to shelter. She said she had been briefed on the situation and will remain in close contact with public safety officials.
President Joe Biden spoke by phone to Mills and the state’s Senate and House members, offering “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” a White House statement said.
On Thursday, Biden signed a proclamation ordering all flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and all other public buildings through Monday, “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence” in Lewiston, Maine.
Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, said he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends and neighbors” and was monitoring the situation. King’s office said the senator would be headed directly home to Maine on the first flight possible.
Local schools closed as manhunt continues
After the shooting, police, many armed with rifles, took up positions while the city descended into eerie quiet – punctuated by occasional sirens – as people hunkered down at home. Schools were closed Thursday in Lewiston, Lisbon and Auburn, as well as municipal offices in Lewiston.
People there should shelter in place or seek safety, Superintendent Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them.”
Video above: Family seeks answers after Maine shooting
Wednesday’s death toll was staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year.
Maine doesn’t require permits to carry guns, and the state has a longstanding culture of gun ownership that is tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting.
Some recent attempts by gun control advocates to tighten the state’s gun laws have failed. Proposals to require background checks for private gun sales and create a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases failed earlier this year. Proposals that focused on school security and banning bump stocks failed in 2019.
State residents have also voted down some attempts to tighten gun laws in Maine. A proposal to require background checks for gun sales failed in a 2016 public vote.
___
Associated Press journalists Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, Michael Balsamo in New York, Darlene Superville in Washington, Michael Casey in Boston and Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed to this report.
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