HYANNIS – Updated 1:15 PM Oct. 26, 2023: Massachusetts State Police says it is offering mutual aid following the shooting in Lewiston, Maine that left at least 18 people dead.
Officials in a statement on social media said that they are not aware of a confirmed nexus between 40-year-old suspect Robert Card and Massachusetts, but continue to monitor the situation.
They said they are prepared to provide further aid to Maine, and a state police bomb squad member responded to the area to provide assistance as an ATF Task Force Officer.
The following coverage has been contributed by the Associated Press:
At least 18 people were killed in shootings at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, sparking a massive search for the suspect. Authorities urged residents to lock themselves in their homes and schools announced closures on Thursday. Follow for live updates.
WHAT TO KNOW
— Police are searching for a person of interest who is a trained firearms instructor.
— Here’s what we know about the suspect and where the shooting happened.
— The shooting is the 36th mass killing in the United States this year.
— The aftermath of mass shootings infiltrates every corner of survivors’ lives
OFFICIAL: POLICE TOOK SUSPECT FOR EVALUATION AFTER ACTING ERRATICALLY IN JULY
WASHINGTON — A U.S. Army reservist suspected of killing at least 18 people in Maine had been taken by police for an evaluation after military officials became concerned that he was acting erratically in mid-July, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.
The official said commanders in the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment became concerned in mid-July that Robert Card was acting erratically while the unit was training at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in New York.
The official said military commanders became concerned about Card’s safety and asked for the police to be called. New York state police took Card to the Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point for evaluation, the official said.
The official was not authorized to publicly discuss information about the incident and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
— Associated Press writer Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.
ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR SUSPECT IN MAINE SHOOTING
An arrest warrant for eight counts of murder has been issued for the suspect in the shootings at a Maine bowling alley and a restaurant, according to state police.
As more victims are identified, the counts against suspect Robert Card lists will probably grow to 18, Maine State Police Col. William Ross said.
Police responded to a “very fast moving, very dangerous scene,” Ross said, noting that seven people were found dead at the bowling alley and eight at the bar, including one victim who was outside. All had gunshot wounds. Three people who were taken to hospitals also died, Ross said.
MAINE GOV. MILLS SAYS SHOOTING DEATH TOLL RISES TO 18
The death toll in the shooting at a Maine bowling alley and a restaurant has risen to 18 people killed, according to Gov. Janet Mills. Another 13 were injured in the shootings on Wednesday night, she said.
Mills said law enforcement is still searching for shooting suspect Robert Card, who is considered armed and dangerous.
The governor warned that people should not to approach Card under any circumstances. She asked people to call 911 if they see anything suspicious.
The “full weight” of her administration is behind the law enforcement effort to capture Card and hold whoever is responsible accountable and seek justice for the victims and their families, Mills said.
“We cannot and we will not rest in this endeavor,” Mills said.
MAINE SHOOTING ANGERS PARENT OF COLLEGE STUDENT
Diana Florence said her son, a sophomore at Bates College in Lewiston, stayed in his dorm with his roommate with the blinds closed.
Her daughter is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which was locked down twice last month, once when a professor was killed and again two weeks later when a man brandished a gun in the student union building.
“I could not believe it — that this is happening again. It’s happening to my son after it just happened to my daughter,” she said in a phone interview Thursday.
Florence, of New York, said she and her son spoke and texted late into the night and he was shaken up but OK. Meanwhile, she was left angry.
“I think this is about our laws, frankly. That we cannot seem to pass any sort of sensible gun laws or attack mental health in the way we should,” she said. “And our kids are paying the price. And even if they’re not killed or injured the trauma that is going to linger long past the semester is palpable.”
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