Maine mass shooting: Who is suspected gunman Robert Card on the run?

A mass shooting in Maine has left at least 22 dead and dozens injured. The shooting in Lewiston – the 36th mass shooting in America this year – occurred on Wednesday night at Sparetime Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant around 7 pm. Police have launched a massive manhunt to nab the gunman identified as Robert Card. But what do we know about Card? Let’s take a closer look: Card is 40 years old. As per CNN, he is a resident of Bowdoin.

He is a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve.

Card was assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine. A document, circulated to law enforcement officials stated that 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. As per NBC News, Card studied engineering at the University of Maine from 2001 to 2004. [caption id=“attachment_13301462” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] This photo released by the Lewiston Maine Police Department shows Robert Card, who police have identified as a person of interest in connection to mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. AP[/caption] The outlet quoted court records as stating that one Robert Card – born on the same day as the suspected shooter – was charged in 2001 and 2002 with speeding. As per NBC News, no other criminal records came up for Card. However, NDTV r_eported that Card has previously been arrested over domestic violence. As per Marca, Card is a twice-divorced father of three children. An ex-wife previously got a restraining order against him. **‘_Armed and dangerous’** Police said Card “should be considered armed and dangerous,” as per NBC News. “If people see him, they should not approach Card or make contact with him in any way,” Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck was quoted as saying.

“Please contact law enforcement if you are aware of his whereabouts,” the Lewiston Police Department wrote on Facebook.

As per Fox News, Card’s vehicle, a white Subaru Outback was found abandoned near the Lisbon boat dock on Frost Hill Avenue near Route 196. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released pictures showing the gunman in a brown sweatshirt and holding a rifle. Lewiston Police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation. One bowler, who identified himself only as Brandon, 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,” he 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 it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he said. Melinda Small, the owner of Legends Sports Bar and Grill, said her staff immediately locked their doors and moved all 25 customers and employees away from the doors after a customer reported hearing about the shooting at the bowling alley less than a quarter-mile away. Soon, the police flooded the roadway and a police officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building. [caption id=“attachment_13301502” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A woman is hugged by a man at a reunification center at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday. AP[/caption] “I am honestly in a state of shock. I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” Small said. “But at the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.” 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 were closed Thursday in Lewiston, Lisbon and Auburn, as well as municipal offices in Lewiston. ‘Fluid situation’ However, Michael Sauschuck, commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, declined to provide a specific estimate at a news conference, calling it a “fluid situation.” State police planned to hold a mid-morning news conference Thursday. The two law enforcement officials said dozens of people also had been wounded. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.

The hospital was locked down and police, some armed with rifles, stood by the entrances.

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Meanwhile, hospitals as far away as Portland, about 56 kilometers) to the south, were on alert to potentially receive victims. An order for residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets of the city of 37,000 was extended Wednesday night from Lewiston to Lisbon, about 13 kilometers away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said. Governor Janet Mills released a statement echoing instructions for people to shelter. She said she had been briefed on the situation and will remain in close contact with public safety officials. 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. [caption id=“attachment_13301512” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People depart a reunification center early Thursday at Auburn Middle School in Auburn, Maine, following shootings at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. AP[/caption] Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, said he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends and neighbors” and was monitoring the situation. King’s office said the senator would be headed directly home to Maine on the first flight possible. Local schools will be closed Thursday and people should shelter in place or seek safety, Superintendent Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them.” Wednesday’s death toll was staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year. Maine doesn’t require permits to carry guns, and the state has a longstanding culture of gun ownership that is tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting. Some recent attempts by gun control advocates to tighten the state’s gun laws have failed. Proposals to require background checks for private gun sales and create a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases failed earlier this year. Proposals that focused on school security and banning bump stocks failed in 2019. State residents have also voted down some attempts to tighten gun laws in Maine. A proposal to require background checks for gun sales failed in a 2016 public vote. With inputs from agencies