18 dead, 13 wounded in Lewiston, Maine shootings as police search for suspect Robert Card
LEWISTON, Maine - Eighteen people were killed and 13 wounded in two shootings in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday night, Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday. Residents in more than a dozen communities were told to stay indoors, amid a massive manhunt for the suspected gunman, Robert Card.
Investigators are looking into whether Card was targeting a specific individual in the shootings, sources tell CBS News. The person is believed to be a current or former girlfriend. It is unclear if the person was at either location where the shootings took place.
Law enforcement officials were at a home on Meadow Road in Bowdoin to execute a search warrant Thursday night. Announcements were heard over a loudspeaker, but they did not know if Card was in the home. The officers left the home hours later.
"It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search," Maine State Police said. "Law enforcement officials are simply doing their due diligence by tracking down every lead in an effort to locate and apprehend Card."
Lewiston, Maine shooting locations
The shooting started at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley on Mollison Way just before 7 p.m. Seven people were killed there - one female and six males, according to Maine State Police Colonel William Ross. A children's league is scheduled at the complex every Wednesday night.
Read: Witness describes hiding behind pins in bowling alley
Read: Timeline of Lewiston, Maine shootings
About ten minutes later, the shooting continued a few miles away at Schemengees Bar and Grille, a pool hall on Lincoln Street. Ross said eight people died there - seven men inside and one outside. The colonel said three other shooting victims died at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
According to law enforcement sources, investigators are looking into whether the suspect used a semi-automatic rifle with an extended magazine and scope that used .308 ammunition. Police recovered a firearm from the suspect's abandoned vehicle, but the weapon has not yet been connected to the shootings.
The victims
"Several of the deceased have been identified and their family's next of kin has been notified. Approximately eight people at this point have been identified. Ten people, 10 of these victims, still need to be identified at this time. Currently, there is an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder for Mr. Card. The reason it's eight counts because 10 people have not yet been identified. As those people are identified will probably go to the total of 18," Ross told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
Read: The Lewiston, Maine mass shootings victims
The Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office shared surveillance photos of the gunman armed with a rifle entering the bowling alley.
Suspect Robert Card identified
Police are looking for 40-year-old Card who they initially described as a "person of interest" in the shootings. At the news conference, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said Card is officially a suspect.
"There are now arrest warrants for murder for this particular individual Mr. Card. So he is viewed as a suspect and there is a full court press by all of our partners to bring him into custody," Sauschuck told reporters.
Card is considered armed and dangerous. Maine State Police said "more than 100 investigators, both local and federal" are looking for him.
"Our reality for today is that this suspect is still at large. We want to provide community support for the victims, the families in the communities across the state. But we also have an incredibly strong and laser-like focus on bringing this suspect into custody and ultimately to justice," Sauschuck said.
The FBI and ATF raided a home believed to be connected to Robert Card in Bowdoin Thursday afternoon. According to officials briefed on the search, a note was found inside the home. Details of the note have not been released.
Related: Who is Robert Card?
Police said a "vehicle of interest" was found about seven miles away in Lisbon, Maine shortly after the shootings.
Rob Legare of CBS News reported that the U.S. Coast Guard has joined the search, deploying one ship from Boothbay Harbor and a fixed wing aircraft from Cape Cod.
Pat Milton of CBS News, the Coast Guard is searching waterways for Card's 15-foot Bayliner boat, a lake vessel. The search is focused on the northern shore of waterway.
"Dark day for Maine"
"There are still many things we don't know about these attacks," the governor said at the news conference. "But the full weight of my administration is behind law enforcement's efforts to capture the person of interest Robert Card, to hold whoever is responsible for this atrocity accountable under the full force of state and federal law, and to seek full justice for the victims and their families. We cannot and we will not rest in this endeavor."
"This is a dark day for Maine," Mills said. "I know it's hard for us to think about healing when our hearts our broken. But I want every person in Maine to know that we will heal together. We are strong. We are resilient. We are a very caring people. In the days and weeks ahead we will need to lean on those qualities more than ever before."
Maine shelter in place orders
State Police urged everyone in Lewiston, Lisbon and Bowdoin, Maine to shelter in place. Card is from Bowdoin. The campus at Bates College in Lewiston is also locked down.
Who is Robert Card, Lewiston person of interest?
Authorities have stepped back their early reports that Card is a trained firearms instructor.
An Army spokesperson said Card was a Sgt. 1st Class who is a petroleum supply specialist in the Army Reserve, having enlisted in December 2002. Card was never deployed.
He was reported to have been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this past summer. According to a spokesperson with the New York Army National Guard, Card "was behaving erratically" on July 16 while training at the United States Military Academy.
"Out of concern for his safety, the unit requested that law enforcement be contacted. New York State Police responded and transported Card to Keller Army Community Hospital at the United States Military Academy for medical evaluation," the spokesperson told CBS News.
One of Card's cousins, Michael Mercier, told WBZ-TV Card has "a lot going on in his head" and called him a "schizophrenic."
According to WBZ's I-Team, Card has ties to Massachusetts and Massachusetts State Police and federal agents were staged at the New Hampshire border.
"Unsubstantiated" report in Massachusetts
Massachusetts State Police issued a be on the lookout alert after a report that Card may have been in the state.
Police later said the report turned out to be "unsubstantiated" and the alert had been issued for officer safety as a precaution.
Lewiston shooting witness accounts
At the bowling alley, a witness told the Associated Press he heard about 10 shots. He thought 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," the man, who identified himself only as Brandon, told the AP. He ran down the length of the alley, slid into the pin area and climbed up in the machinery to hide.
"None of this seems real, but unfortunately it is. We are devastated for our community and our staff," the bowling alley posted on Facebook. "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 are praying for everyone who has been affected by this horrific tragedy. We love you all and hold you close in our hearts."
"My heart is crushed. I am at a loss for words. 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 Bar and Grill posted on Facebook.
Schools in Maine closed
A resource center for families and friends impacted by the shooting has been set up at Auburn Middle School.
Several schools in Maine were closed Thursday, according to CBS affiliate WGME-TV.
President Biden, Attorney General respond
President Biden spoke by phone individually to Gov. Mills, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and Congressman Jared Golden about the shooting and offered federal help.
Read: Biden orders US flags flown at half staff
"I also urge area residents to heed the warnings and guidance of local officials. Numerous Federal law enforcement personnel are on the scene and actively working with state and local partners. As I told Maine Governor Janet Mills, Senators Collins and King, and Congressman Golden last night, I have directed my administration to provide everything that is needed to support the people of Maine. We will continue to be there every step of the way," the president said in a statement Thursday.
"I am heartbroken for those who have lost loved ones, for those who have been injured, and for the entire Lewiston community," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "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."
The special agent in charge at the FBI's Boston office, Jodi Cohen, is among those in Lewiston assisting investigators.
"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," Garland said.
Where is Lewiston, Maine?
Lewiston is Maine's second largest city. It is about two hours north of Boston and 30 miles north of Portland, Maine.
