Maine police are continuing their search for the “armed and dangerous” suspect allegedly behind two separate mass shootings in the state Wednesday night.
At least 18 people are dead and 13 others are injured after gun shots broke out at a bowling alley and a bar around 7 p.m. Oct. 25 in Lewiston, Maine – a roughly three-and-a-half-hour drive from the Canadian border.
Police have told residents to stay in their homes while they search for 40-year-old Robert Card, a man they initially described as a person of interest but who now faces eight murder charges.
A man with a gun walks on the street after a shooting in Maine, United States on Oct. 25.
Photo by Maine state police/ Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images
“He should be considered armed and dangerous,” Col. William Ross of the Maine State Police told reporters Thursday.
“Based on our investigation, we believe this is someone that should not be approached. If you come into any contact with this individual, or someone that you think looks like this individual, you are to call 911.”
Ross added there were only eight murder charges right now as the remaining victims have yet to be identified, the process of which is ongoing.
Card was described in a police bulletin obtained by The Associated Press as a firearms instructor believed to be in the U.S. Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.
This photo released by the Lewiston, Maine, Police Department on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, shows a vehicle police are seeking information on in connection to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine.
Lewiston Maine Police Department via AP
The document about Card, circulated to law enforcement officials, said he had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023, The Associated Press reported.
It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.
Officials Thursday would not get into specifics given the ongoing investigation, and said they are focusing on finding Card. His whereabouts were not made known.
Police say they found a white SUV they believe Card drove to the town of Lisbon, about 11 kilometres to the southeast of where the shootings took place.
A ‘dark day for Maine’
The bloodshed has rocked the largely rural state of Maine.
“This is a dark day for Maine,” Gov. Janet Mills told reporters at Thursday’s press briefing.
“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.”
Given Maine’s proximity to Canada, police in New Brunswick and Canadian border officials say they’re monitoring the hunt for Card.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said Thursday that it’s working closely with Canadian and U.S. law enforcement “to ensure the safety and security of Canadians and protect Canada’s borders against any threat or attempt illegal entry.”
CBSA senior spokesperson, Jacqueline Roby, said the agency had issued an “Armed & Dangerous – Firearms lookout,” which alerts border officers about the high-risk situation.
All points of entry remained open on Thursday. There are also multiple border crossings between Maine and Quebec, including the Armstrong-Jackman, Ste-Aurélie, and Coburn Gore-Woburn crossings.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick RCMP said they were “aware of the situation in Maine” and were monitoring it “in collaboration with our law enforcement partners.”
Woodstock Police Chief Gary Forward, who is also the president of the New Brunswick Association of Chiefs of Police, told Motorcycle accident toronto today in an email that “all agencies are aware and working collaboratively in the event any outcome should unfold in the province.”
Police presence at Schemengees Bar where a mass shooting occurred yesterday in Lewiston, Maine on Oct. 25, 2023.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
“Agencies in New Brunswick will continue to monitor and share information as it is received, while responding accordingly should the need arise,” he said.
Quebec Premier François Legault said in a statement that the shooting as an unspeakable sorrow, and that his thoughts are with the victim’s families and residents in Lewiston.
— with files from Motorcycle accident toronto today’ Rebecca Lau
© 2023 Motorcycle accident toronto today, Toronto Car Accident News.