Maine Manhunt for Lewiston Mass Shooter Suspect Continues; Lockdown Remains in Place

 Maine Manhunt for Lewiston Mass Shooter Suspect Continues; Lockdown Remains in Place

LEWISTON, Maine, October 27 (Reuters) - Maine police have extended their 24/7 search into Friday for U.S. Army reservist Robert R. Card, the primary suspect in a mass shooting that occurred on Wednesday at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston. The incident resulted in the tragic deaths of 18 individuals and injuries to 13.

Officials have strongly advised tens of thousands of local residents to remain indoors for their safety.

On Thursday night, part of the search played out on live television as authorities executed several search warrants in the neighboring town of Bowdoin, Maine, where Card resides. Law enforcement officials surrounded Card's residence in the woods for over two hours, with an FBI agent issuing instructions via a bullhorn to "come out with your hands up." However, it appeared that nobody was inside.

Police were uncertain if Card was inside when the operation commenced, and the amplified messages were described as "standard search warrant announcements" by a spokesperson from the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Lewiston, a city of 38,000 people situated on the Androscoggin River, along with neighboring communities, has been effectively shut down since the attacks on Wednesday evening, allowing hundreds of officers to conduct their search. Local colleges and public schools canceled classes for a second day. The streets had almost no traffic, few people were outside, and many businesses in downtown Lewiston remained closed. Security personnel with rifles and bulletproof vests guarded the hospital where many of the shooting victims were treated.

Card, aged 40, is a sergeant at a nearby U.S. Army Reserve base, and law enforcement officials reported that he had been temporarily committed to a mental health facility over the summer. On the night of the shootings, Maine State Police found a white SUV they believe Card used to escape, parked at a boat launch in Lisbon, Maine, approximately 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Lewiston. Public records indicate that he owns at least one watercraft made by Sea-Doo, a company known for its jet skis.

The tragic events have shaken communities throughout Androscoggin County, which were under shelter-in-place orders, adding to the growing list of U.S. communities affected by gun massacres. A local resident, Ken Spalding of Lisbon, expressed, "It's a small town. You get to know everybody. But I had told my wife a couple of years ago, 'It's not if, my dear. It's when.'"

The number of U.S. shootings involving four or more people being shot is projected to reach 679 in 2023, up from 647 in 2022, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. The number of people killed in Wednesday's attacks is close to the annual number of homicides that typically occur in Maine, which has fluctuated between 16 and 29 since 2012, according to Maine State Police.

Among the victims were Bill Young and his 14-year-old son Aaron, who were tragically shot and killed at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, as confirmed by Bill's brother, Rob Young. Another victim was Bryan MacFarlane, aged 40, a member of a deaf community group participating in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar & Grille when he was killed, according to his sister, Keri Brooks.

Maine has relatively lax regulations regarding firearms, with about half of all adults in the state living in households with a firearm, according to a 2020 study by the RAND Corporation. Maine does not require a permit to purchase or carry a gun, and it lacks so-called "red flag" laws present in some other states that enable law enforcement to temporarily disarm individuals considered dangerous.

U.S. Representative Jared Golden, a Democrat from Lewiston, has called for a ban on certain types of semi-automatic rifles following the attacks. He stated, "I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles, like the one used by the perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown." However, Congress has faced significant challenges in passing gun control legislation, even after previous tragedies such as the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A landmark 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling has made it more difficult to enact gun laws, asserting that individuals have a constitutional right to carry weapons in public, and lawmakers can only pass gun regulations resembling those in existence in the United States in the 18th century.