President Joe Biden will travel to Maine later this week to mourn with the Lewiston community after 18 people were killed in the deadliest mass shooting in state history, the White House said Wednesday.
Thirteen people were injured in a shooting on October 25 at a bar and bowling alley.
Biden and first lady Jill Biden will go Friday to pay their respects to the victims, meet with first responders and others and “grieving with families and community members,” the White House said in a statement.
VICTIMS OF MAINE MASS SHOOTING RANGE FROM 14 TO 76, MEDICAL EXAMINER SAYS
President Joe Biden speaks at Dutch Creek Farms in Northfield, Minnesota. on Nov. 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
MAINE MASS SHOOTING SUSPECT FOUND DEAD, SOURCES SAY
The alleged gunman, Robert Card, 40, was found dead in an apparent suicide after a day-long search led officials to cancel school and order residents to stay indoors.
Investigators have not yet established a motive but are increasingly focused on the mental health of Card, who is a firearms instructor.
Authorities said this week that Card’s family brought their concerns about his deteriorating mental health to the local sheriff five months before the fatal attack. Card also underwent a mental health evaluation after he began behaving erratically at a training facility last summer.
Several thousand people attended vigils for the victims over the weekend, and residents began returning to work and school on Monday after stay-at-home orders were lifted.
MAINE POLICE AUDIO DESCRIBING FRANTIK MASS SHOOTING RESPONSE: ‘MANY VICTIMS’
Biden was alerted to the shooting while he was hosting a White House state dinner honoring the bonds between the United States and Australia. He later appeared at the event to speak by phone with Maine Gov. Janet Mills and state representatives in Congress.
In a written statement, the president condemned the “senseless and tragic” shooting and urged Republicans in Congress to help pass legislation that would ban assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. capacity, implement universal background checks, require that firearms be safely stored and end immunity. from liability for gun manufacturers.
Biden also ordered that US flags on public property be flown at half-staff until Monday as a mark of respect for the victims.
