LEWISTON, Maine — Law enforcement descended on a home in Bowdoin, Maine, Thursday as they continued a massive manhunt for the 40-year-old man wanted in connection to a mass shooting here that left 18 people dead and authorities scouring the region for a suspect still at-large.
Maine State Police Col. William Ross said earlier Thursday they had issued an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder for Robert Card, whose last known residence was listed in Bowdoin, a town of several thousand to the east of Lewiston, the second-largest city in the state of 1.3 million people.
Maine State Police spokesperson Shannon Moss said no gunshots had been fired at the residence but law enforcement were there “as part of the investigation into the Lewiston shootings and the search for Robert Card,” the only individual police have identified as a suspect.
“When it’s appropriate to do so, additional information will be released,” Moss said in a statement at 6 p.m. local time. An address was not released.
Shelter-in-place orders, lockdowns, and school closings expanded across Maine Thursday as authorities continued their search for Card. Meanwhile, residents hunkered down in Lewiston and surrounding communities as they mourned the dead.
Lewiston “did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind,” said Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who said she spoke with President Joe Biden and multiple officials from his administration, including U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“No words can truly or fully measure the grief of Maine people today. Our small state of just 1.3 million people has long been known as one of the safest states in the nation. This attack strikes at the very heart of who we are and the values we hold dear for this precious place we call home,” Mills said at City Hall. “… This is a dark day for Maine.”
Ross said the arrest warrant for Card would likely include more murder counts as more of the deceased are identified. A spokesperson for Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said the arrest warrant was “impounded,” rendering it inaccessible to the public.
The chaotic shootings unfolded quickly Wednesday, with state law enforcement officials describing multiple 911 calls only minutes apart originating from Sparetime Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant, two local establishments.
A 911 call reporting a male shooting at Sparetime Recreation was first received by an Auburn communications center at 6:56 p.m. Wednesday, Ross said.
Multiple 911 calls then came in around 7:08 p.m. that reported an active shooter inside Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant, Ross said.
“A large law enforcement response from multiple surrounding agencies assisted the Lewiston Police Department in trying to identify who this individual was and what was happening as you can imagine, this was a very fast paced, fast moving very fluid scene, very dangerous scene that these guys and girls were going into,” Ross said.
Ross said seven people were killed at Sparetime Recreation, one female and six males, from apparent gunshot wounds, Ross said. Seven males inside Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant and one male outside the establishment were also killed, Ross said.
Three people who were transferred to nearby hospitals later died, he said.
Ross said eight people have been identified, leaving 10 still unidentified, Ross said.
“There is an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder for Mr. Card. And the reason it’s eight counts, because 10 people have not yet been identified. As those people are identified, the counts will probably go to the total of 18. He should be considered armed and dangerous,” he said.
As a massive manhunt continued Wednesday for Card, Maine State Police said they were expanding a shelter-in-place advisory beyond initial orders for Lewiston and Lisbon to Bowdoin, which is Card’s last known residence, according to police.
“We are expanding the shelter in place advisory and school closings to include the town of Bowdoin. Please stay inside your homes while more than 100 investigators, both local and federal work to locate Robert Card who is a person of interest in the Lewiston shooting,” Maine State Police posted on social media.
More than 100 law enforcement were involved in the search for Card but officials declined to offer any alleged motive for the shootings. A vehicle that was later tied to Card was located at a boat landing in Lisbon, Ross said.
A U.S. official told the AP that Card was an Army reservist who had been taken by police for an evaluation after military officials became concerned that he was acting erratically in mid-July.
The official said commanders in the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment became concerned about Card’s behavior while the unit was training at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York.
The official said military commanders became concerned about Card’s safety and asked for the police to be called. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss information about the incident and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Maine Public Safety Department Commissioner Michael Sauschuck declined to offer any specifics on potential motive.
“That’s not an answer that we’re prepared to give today because that leads to motive. You’re talking about behavioral health issues and how that impacts the situation. I would expect you will hear back from us on that in the future,” Sauschuck said. “… We don’t know his location and I’ll leave it at that.”
Many questions remain unanswered outside of motive, including how the suspect could have had access to a weapon and what specific firearm the person used.
A green armored truck and multiple SUVs were seen traveling north on I-95 early Thursday morning just over 20 miles from Lewiston. Multiple helicopters were seen flying over Lewiston, most businesses were closed early in the morning, and streets were relatively empty.
Police also locked down immediate access to both Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant and Sparetime Recreation.
Law enforcement armed with long rifles were in front of the Central Maine Medical Center, which said in a statement Wednesday that it was “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event.”
Central Maine Health Care Chief Medical Officer John Alexander said the first patient arrived at 7:24 p.m. and over the next 45 minutes, the hospital in Lewiston received 14 patients, eight were admitted to the hospital. He declined to specify the age or gender of the people.
Five of the eight patients in their care are in stable condition and three are in critical condition, he said.
“From Augusta to Portland, we had incredible support throughout the night and into today,” Alexander said from Lewiston City Hall. “We’ve had an outpouring of support and offers of assistance.”
Materials from the Associated Press were used in this report.
