Police are extensively searching the surrounding areas of Lewiston, Maine, for the suspect responsible for the mass shooting at a bar and bowling alley on Wednesday.
According to reports, the suggested death toll is between 16 and 22, with numerous injuries, but exact numbers weren’t disclosed by officials.
Robert R. Card, 40, was identified as a person of interest by State and Local officials after he posted photos on Facebook showing a man with what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle. The pictures at one of the Wednesday crime scenes displayed a bearded man in a brown hoodie and jeans, holding the weapon in a firing stance.
“We have literally hundreds of police officers working around the state of Maine to investigate this case to locate Mr. Card, a person of interest,” said Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck.
Media reports mentioned that a Maine law enforcement bulletin described Card as a trained firearms instructor in the U.S. Army Reserve. He had recently reported mental health issues, including hearing voices, and threatened to shoot up a National Guard base.
“Card was also reported to have been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks during summer 2023 and subsequently released,” said the notice from the Maine Information & Analysis Center.
Reuters couldn’t verify the bulletin’s authenticity, but the Associated Press reported its circulation among law enforcement.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, If the death toll is 22, it would be the deadliest U.S. massacre since at least August 2019, when a gunman used an AK-47 rifle to open fire on shoppers at an El Paso Walmart, killing 23.
