Dead Gunman Reportedly Identified in Deadliest Mass Shooting in the United States
After a massive manhunt, the body of Robert Card, the suspect in the bloodiest mass shooting in the United States this year, was found on Friday evening. Card apparently shot himself.
The shooting rampage by Robert Card, which resulted in 18 deaths and countless more injuries, sent shockwaves throughout the country. His reign of terror began on a Wednesday night at a bowling alley and tavern in Lewiston, Maine.
Governor Janet Mills of Maine has spoken out about how happy she is that Card is no longer a threat and has stressed the importance of moving on. “Now is the time to heal,” she said during a press conference, after the manhunt was called off. Mills added that the investigation by law enforcement was proceeding in order to bring closure to the families of the victims.
Card’s body was discovered about 7:45 p.m. beside a river in Lisbon, Maine. This spot was convenient because it was near Maine Recycling, where he had worked before being let off.
The clothes that Card was wearing the night of the tragedy were still in his possession when he was found. The late Senator from Maine, Angus King, corroborated this information, saying that he had committed suicide by firearm.
Shortly after Card’s rampage on Wednesday night at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley and the Schemengees Bar & Grille, police found his vehicle, a white Subaru Outback, abandoned in Lisbon.
Around 7 o’clock that evening, Card entered the bowling alley armed with an assault weapon and began his shooting rampage. He went to the pub not long after. 18 people were killed and 13 others were injured as a result of the events at the two sites.
On Friday, authorities in Maine released the names of those killed in the tragedy. Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34; Maxx Hathaway, 35; Stephen Vozella, 45; Michael R. Deslauriers II, 51; Jason Adam Walker, 51; Tricia Asselin, 53; William Young, 44; Aaron Young, 14; Robert and Lucille Violette, 76 and 73; William Frank Brackett, 44; and Keith Macneir, 64.
According to the Portland Press Herald, this slaughter was the worst in Maine’s history and the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in 2018. The Lewiston Police Department had filed eight counts of murder against Card.
The investigators found a note at Card’s house that detailed his plans for suicide. In addition, Card had spent two weeks in a hospital for the mentally ill earlier in the summer.
Card had been struggling with mental health concerns, including having auditory hallucinations and threats of violence, therefore the motivation for his conduct is unknown. From 2001 to 2004, he studied engineering at the University of Maine, and before that, he served as an Army Reservist in Saco.
The local community, which had been on lockdown out of dread during the manhunt, now breathe a sigh of relief with Card’s death.
Key player Sauschuck has scheduled a news conference on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. to discuss the matter in greater detail.