Maine shooting sparks hunt for 40 year old gunman
A man armed with a rifle stormed a bar and restaurant, resulting in at least 16 deaths and at least 50 injuries in Lewiston, Maine, US. The shooting incident occurred yesterday at 6.56pm local time (5.56am Thailand time) at a restaurant and a bowling alley, according to local police.
The suspect has been named as 40 year old Robert Card whom Lewiston police have labelled as “armed and dangerous” and warned the public not to approach him. Card is a firearms instructor who had weapon practice at Saco, Maine as part of US military training. The man also spent time at a mental health facility this past summer where he had made a threat to carry out a killing spree.
Pictures of the suspect have been released by the Sheriff’s Office for identification. Members of the public are advised to stay in their residences and ordered businesses to cease operations. Lewiston police are still in the process of pursuing the perpetrator and hunting down the vehicle believed to have been used in the escape.
President Joe Biden has been reportedly notified of the shooting incident and is being updated on the latest situation. Lewiston City Council candidate Billie Jayne Cooke recounted her experience of hearing the news of the shooting incident:
“Helicopters, sirens, I’ve never heard so much activity in my life in this city. We have police from all over the state, from out of the state, coming up.”
Police Commissioner Michael Sauschuck of the Public Safety Department of Maine gave a statement on the time and the effect of the shooting incident.
The Central Maine Medical Centre also commented that it was responding to a major event involving a gunman on the loose. Other hospitals nearby were also called upon in a joint effort to accommodate the people injured in the incident.
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