At least 22 people were killed and 30 were injured in two separate shootings in Maine on Wednesday night, prompting a large search. According to Maine’s Commissioner of Public Safety Mike Sauschuck, the situation is “very fluid,” and authorities do not yet have a confirmed body count. Considering that the state only had 29 murders in all of 2022, Wednesday’s death toll is shockingly high.
The Lewiston Police Department has recognized 40-year-old Robert R. Card as a person of interest, although no suspect has yet been named. According to a Maine Information and Analysis Center memo, Bowdoin, Maine native Card is a certified weapons instructor with prior military service. The FBI has classified him as “armed and dangerous.” Card may be keeping tabs on police activity since he allegedly has access to a police scanner.
Extra FBI agents and SWAT units have been sent to the location to aid local authorities. The alert claims that Card is a member of the Army Reserve in the Saco, Maine area. Card recently revealed mental health difficulties, and the bulletin indicated that he reportedly threatened to open fire on the Maine National Guard facility. In the summer, he allegedly spent two weeks in a mental health institution.
Lewiston locals were given the “shelter in place” order and told to stay inside, doors shut, until the problem had been resolved. Since Card’s car was located in Lisbon, the town is now under the shelter-in-place order as well.
The shootings happened in Lewiston, Maine, at Schemengees Bar & Grille and at Sparetime Recreation. A level two trauma hospital, Central Maine Medical hospital, has been helping with the “mass casualty, mass shooter event.” A reunion center has been established up at Auburn Middle School in Auburn, Maine, for those looking for news about loved ones.
The FBI is one of several organizations organizing a response to this horrific incident. Local officials have sought vigilance from the public and urged residents to report any suspicious behavior or people to law enforcement. President Biden has been updated on the issue.
Classes have been suspended and extra security measures put in place as a consequence of the continuing search. Lewiston, Maine, city hall and Lisbon, Maine, town hall are both shuttered while the search continues.
As the inquiry continues, more information may become available, but for the time being, please keep in mind that the issue is still unfolding.