Bar struck by Maine mass shooting mourns victims: "In a split second your world gets turn upside down"
At least 18 people are dead after shootings at two separate businesses in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, officials have told CBS News. Hours after the shootings, one of the businesses, a local bar that was hosting a discounted night for those who work in the bar and restaurant industry, released a statement saying, "My heart is crushed."
"I am at a loss for words," Schemengees Bar and Grill wrote on Facebook early Thursday morning. "In a split second your world gets turn upside down for no good reason. We loss great people in this community. How can we make any sense of this. Sending out prayers to everyone."
Schemengees, situated in Lewiston right off the Androscoggin River, had been offering a 25% discount to guests on Wednesday night who work in the restaurant and bar industry.
Kathy Lebel, co-owner of the bar, told local outlet the Lewiston Sun Journal that she wasn't at the business when the shooting broke out, but that people who were at the restaurant told her someone walked in and "started shooting."
"It was just a fun night playing cornhole. ... It's the last thing you're expecting, right?" she told the Journal. "I still feel like this whole thing is a nightmare."
Multiple sources have told CBS News that dozens of people were injured in the shootings, which also took place at local bowling alley Sparetime Recreation, roughly 4 miles from Schemengees.
So far, police have identified a person of interest and a vehicle that may be connected to the shootings. As of Thursday morning, police are still looking for a suspect, 40-year-old Robert Card, who they say is considered armed and dangerous.
According to a Maine law enforcement bulletin seen by CBS News, Card is enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve and has an active military ID that grants him access to any military base. Officials previously said Card was a firearms instructor believed to be in the Maine Army Reserve but later said that was not the case.