Maine authorities said 18 people were killed and 13 wounded in a Lewiston, Me., mass shooting at two locations Wednesday night, sparking a massive manhunt while residents remained under a shelter-in-place advisory, the Associated Press reports. Police filed eight murder charges against the suspect, Robert Card, 40, and said more charges would be filed as victims are identified. “This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills said at a press conference where local, state and federal officials shared few details about a suspected motive or about the suspect's background.
The shooter, armed with what appeared to be an AR-15-style rifle, carried out attacks at a bowling alley and restaurant before fleeing. Card was was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the U.S. Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Me. A police bulletin circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base. A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service. 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. Schools as far away as Kennebunk, more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Lewiston, closed out of caution on Thursday. And schools and public buildings were closed in Portland, the state’s largest city. Bates and Bowdoin colleges canceled classes, as did the Gorham and Portland campuses of the University of Southern Maine. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed the shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder. Lewiston is the second largest city in Maine with a population of 37,000.