Law enforcement personnel block a road as they search a home on Meadow Road in Bowdoin, Maine, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
Salwan George | The Washington Post | Getty Images
Authorities on Friday were still searching for the suspect in a mass shooting that killed at least 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, as a massive, multi-agency effort entered its second day.
A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Robert Card, 40, of Bowdoin, Maine on multiple counts of murder. The card is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances, police said.
Residents in Androscoggin County and northern Sagadahoc County were under shelter in place police orders and told to lock their doors while federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement searched for Card, police said. .
Bowdoin police executed several search warrants Thursday night.
Card is a trained firearms instructor and a sergeant first class in the Army Reserve, where he serves as a petroleum supply specialist. He has no combat deployments, according to the Defense Department.
As recently as this summer, Card suffered from mental health issues, law enforcement and Defense Department officials told NBC News. His Army superiors sent him to an inpatient facility in July after he claimed to have heard voices and made threats on the base. There, Card underwent psychiatric treatment for two weeks and was then released, officials said.
In this photo from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, a gunman walks into Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office via AP
The rifle used by the gunman was legally purchased this year, law enforcement officials told NBC News.
Police say a gunman opened fire at the Just in Time Recreation bowling alley and Schengees Bar and Grille on Wednesday night, killing seven people in the bowling alley and eight people in the bar. Three people later died at the hospital. Both businesses are approximately 12 minutes away by car.
Eight victims remained hospitalized as of Thursday night, five of whom were in stable condition and three were in critical condition, said Steve Littleson, CEO of Central Maine Medical Center.
Law enforcement officers gather on the road to the home of a suspect wanted in connection with two mass shootings on October 26, 2023 in Bowdoin, Maine.
Joe Raedle | Getty Images
The mass shooting has fueled America’s long-running but politically stalled gun control debate.
President Joe Biden called Thursday for Republican lawmakers to work with Democrats to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, implement universal background checks and require safe storage of guns.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, on Thursday announced he would support a ban on assault weapons, after previously opposing such a ban. Gold represents the congressional district that includes Lewiston.
“I’m asking for forgiveness and support as I work to end these horrific shootings,” Golden told reporters at a press conference Thursday night.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, nodded when asked if she would support an assault weapons ban after the shooting. Collins said banning high-capacity magazines would be more effective.
A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines has little chance of passing Congress because of strong opposition to gun control by the majority of Republicans, who control the House of Representatives.
