At least 16 people are dead and dozens are injured following two shootings Wednesday night at a bowling alley and a restaurant in Lewiston, Maine, sources say, and an intensive manhunt is underway for a person of interest.
Robert Card, 40, of Bowdoin, is a person of interest and should be considered armed and dangerous, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said.
Law enforcement officials in Maine tell CNN that Card is a certified firearms instructor and a member of the US Army Reserve. Card had recently made threats to carry out a shooting at a National Guard facility in Saco, Maine, and also reported mental health issues, including hearing voices, the officials said.
During a news conference Wednesday night, Sauschuck declined to provide further information about Card. “We’re not prepared to go into (Card’s) background,” he said.
At least 16 people are dead, law enforcement officials told CNN. Lewiston City Councilor Robert McCarthy told CNN Wednesday night 22 people had been killed, citing a city administrator.
Dozens were injured, though it wasn’t immediately clear how many were hurt due to gunfire, the law enforcement sources told CNN.
The shootings occurred around 7 p.m. ET, Sauschuck said. Lewiston police reported active shooting incidents at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley on Mollison Way, and Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant on Lincoln Street.
“We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate,” the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on Facebook Wednesday evening.
The sheriff’s office released images of a “suspect for identification.” The person can be seen holding a high-powered assault-style rifle.
Residents of Lewiston and the neighboring town of Lisbon are under shelter-in-place orders, Sauschuck said.
A “vehicle of interest” was found in Lisbon, the commissioner said. Earlier, Lewiston police said they were searching for a vehicle and posted an image of what appeared to be a small, white SUV with a front bumper believed to be painted black. Maine State Police confirmed to CNN the image is of the suspect’s car.
