Authorities are continuing to search for Robert Card, wanted in the shooting deaths of at least 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston.
What to Know
- A massive search is underway for 40-year-old Robert Card, the man accused of being the gunman who left 18 people dead in a mass killing at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston.
- Residents in Lewiston and nearby towns are being urged to stay home and remain locked down until he has been arrested.
- Police said Card should be considered armed and dangerous.
Law enforcement agencies are continuing their manhunt for the suspected gunman in the mass shootings that left 18 people dead Wednesday in Lewiston, Maine.
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Family members have publicly identified some of those victims killed at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille. Another 13 people were injured.
As the search for Robert Card persisted, authorities converged on a home in nearby Bowdoin, where the suspect lives.
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Agents outside the home could be heard calling Card by name, NBC affiliate News Center Maine reported from the scene — though a spokeswoman for the Maine Department of Public Safety, Shannon Moss, issued a statement amid the search noting that it wasn't immediately known if Card in fact was at the scene on Meadow Road.
"Law enforcement officials are currently on Meadow Road in the town of Bowdoin to execute several search warrants," Moss said. "The announcements that are being heard over a loud speaker are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved. It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search. Law enforcement officials are simply doing their due diligence by tracking down every lead in an effort to locate and apprehend Card."
Three law enforcement sources told NBC News Thursday night that, while the officers and agents taking part in the "very active" manhunt were loudly announcing their presence as they searched and re-searched properties and giving him an opportunity to surrender, there was no indication he was at any specific address.
Law enforcement vehicles left the area after 8:30 p.m. Maine court officials later said Card has still not been taken into custody.
The intense focus at the home, which property records link to Card, came about 24 hours after the shooting at a Lewiston bowling alley and a local restaurant, which left at least 18 people dead and 13 wounded.
Much of the area remained under lockdown, and many details on what happened remained unclear Wednesday evening, though officials did offer a rough timeline of how the shooting and subsequent manhunt unfolded.
Seven people were shot and killed at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, including one female and six males, and eight people were shot and killed at Schemengees Bar and Grille, including seven males inside and one male outside. Multiple other people were transferred to various hospitals, three of whom have died. Eight of the dead have been identified and family notified, while authorities are still working to identify the other 10.
The father of a manager killed at Schemengees told NBC News' Lester Holt that Card had been to the bar before.
"All of the people over there know him," said Leroy Walker. "He would actually come to Schemengees; he'd been there off and on."
"This is a dark day for Maine," Gov. Janet Mills said at a news conference. "I know it's hard for us to think about healing when our hearts are 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, and in the days and weeks ahead, we will need to lean on those qualities more than ever before."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, also referred to the pain being felt in Maine at a news conference later Thursday, calling it the state's worst mass shooting.
"This heinous attack, which has robbed the lives of at least 18 Mainers and injured so many more, is the worst mass shooting that the state of Maine has ever experienced, and could ever imagine," she said.
Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who from Lewiston who represents the district, apologetically announced at that news conference he was reversing course on his earlier objection to a federal ban on assault weapons.
"The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown of Lewiston, Maine," Golden said. "For the good of my community, I will work with any colleague to get this done in the time that I have left in Congress."
Lewiston Police Chief David St. Pierre added that "this is truly a tragedy that goes beyond comprehension."
An arrest warrant has now been issued for Robert Card, a 40-year-old from Bowdoin with a military background, who was initially only being sought for questioning in the case, part of a massive dragnet set up by local, state and federal law enforcement responding to one of Maine's most brazen criminal acts in years. He is facing eight counts of murder only because the other 10 victims have not yet been identified.
"He should be considered armed and dangerous based on our investigation," Col. William Ross from the Maine State Police said.
Anyone with information on Card's whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the state police tip lines at 207-213-9526 or 207-509-9002.
"Our reality for today is this suspect is still at large," Commissioner Mike Sauschuck of the Maine Department of Public Safety said. "But we also have an incredibly strong, laser-like focus on bringing this suspect into custody and ultimately to justice."
“We’re actively searching for him," he added. "We don’t know his location and I’ll leave it at that.”
"This is an all-hands-on-deck approach," St. Pierre noted.
A vehicle of interest was found at the Presumpscot Boat Launch in Lisbon Wednesday night, and, like in nearby Lewiston, town offices there were closed Thursday as officials issued a shelter-in-place order there as well.
Residents of Lisbon are also still being told to continue sheltering in place, with a specific emphasis on those between Mill Sreet in Lisbon Center and Main Street in Lisbon Falls. Many businesses in that area will also be closed. The Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office had yet to retract its advice that all businesses in the area lock down or close.
Several roads are also closed in Lewiston on Thursday as the manhunt continues, including Mollison Way and River Road from Locust Street to South Avenue. Residents will be permitted onto the closed section of River Road.
Updates on the Robert Card manhunt
Maine State Police announced shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday that the shelter in place and school closings had been expanded to the town of Bowdoin, where Card is from. People are being told to stay inside their homes while investigators continue their search.
Around 2 p.m., a public safety alert was issued extending the shelter in place order for Androscoggin County and northern Sagadahoc County. "Please make sure your homes and vehicles are secured," the alert read.
Bates College, which is located in Lewiston, remains on lockdown. The school said Thursday morning that one of its employees was present at one of the shooting locations and was injured, but is expected to make a full recovery. Two students were also near one of the crime scenes but were unharmed.
Bowdoin College in nearby Brunswick also canceled in-person classes Thursday due to the ongoing search for the Lewiston shooter. The campus remains in "lockout" mode until further notice.
All Hannaford Supermarkets stores in Maine were closed until at least 10 a.m. on Thursday, the company announced on Facebook. And New Balance, which has three factories in Maine, postponed the groundbreaking on its new facility in Londonderry, New Hampshire, in the wake of the tragedy.
L.L. Bean also announced that it was closing its Freeport stores and their Lewiston and Brunswick manufacturing facilities "out of an abundance of caution."
"Maine is more than just a place to us; it’s our home, our community, and our family," the company said on Facebook. "Our hearts and thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy in our beloved state. We urge all of our neighbors to stay safe and look out for one another while we process these events together."
Emergency officials in neighboring New Hampshire said they are also monitoring the shootings and sharing information with local, state and federal partners.
“We stand with our friends and partners in Maine during this time,” Commissioner Robert Quinn of the New Hampshire Department of Safety said. “We are asking all New Hampshire residents to stay vigilant. If you see something suspicious, report it to local authorities or 911.”
“New Hampshire state officials have been in touch with our counterparts in Maine to offer and provide any medical and safety resources needed as they manage this horrific situation,” New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu added. “Our hearts and prayers are with the people of Maine.”
Officials in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont have said they are also on alert and keeping tabs on the manhunt.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she has been in touch with Maine Gov. Janet Mills and has offered her state's support "as Maine responds to this heartbreaking tragedy."
Wednesday's shooting left Maine's governor and other leaders horrified. Experts told NBC10 Boston that the person shown on the surveillance footage was evidently prepared to kill people.
Card, the suspect being sought by police, is a firearms instructor trained by the military who was recently committed to a mental health facility, according to a state police bulletin that was circulated to law enforcement officials on Wednesday night.
He is a longtime member of the Army Reserve with no combat deployments, the Army confirmed to NBC News.
Sgt. 1st Class Card is a petroleum supply specialist who enlisted in December 2002, according to Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee. His awards include the Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal x2, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
A bulletin put out by the Maine Information and Analysis Center, a database for law enforcement officials, said Card “recently reported mental health issues to include hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME."
The assault rifle style weapon used by Card was purchased legally this year, according to two senior law enforcement officials who spoke to NBC News.
In a news conference on Wednesday night, Sauschuck said hundreds of officers are involved in the search. Officials said on Thursday that over 350 law enforcement personnel are now involved in the search.
He said a "reunification center" was set up at nearby Auburn Middle School for anyone looking to reunite with family members who are unaccounted for.
Hospitals in the area, which is north of Portland and southwest of Augusta, had activated critical care procedures to deal with the influx of casualties.
One bowler who was at Just-In-Time Recreation when the shooting started said he heard about 10 shots, thinking 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 Associated Press.
Brandon said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery. He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a middle school in the neighboring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.
“I was putting on my bowling shoes when when it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he said.
After the shooting, police, many armed with rifles, took up positions while the city descended into eerie quiet — punctuated by occasional sirens — as people hunkered down at home.
President Joe Biden spoke by phone to Mills and the state's Senate and House members, offering “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” a White House statement said. He issued a statement on Thursday condemning the shootings and calling for greater gun safety measures.
"Today, in the wake of yet another tragedy, I urge Republican lawmakers in Congress to fulfill their duty to protect the American people. Work with us to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to enact universal background checks, to require safe storage of guns, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers," he said. "This is the very least we owe every American who will now bear the scars — physical and mental — of this latest attack."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
