“We lost great people in this community.”
At least 16 people have died following a mass shooting in the US city of Lewiston. The Maine shooting began at 18.56 local time (22.56GMT) on Wednesday evening at a bowling alley and a nearby restaurant.
Police have named 40-year-old Robert Card as a person of interest and have said that he should be considered “armed and dangerous”. At the time of writing, the gunman remains at large.
At least 22 people have been killed and more than 50 injured in a mass shooting in the US state of Maine.
The gunman is still on the loose.
Shingai Nyoka has been monitoring events in Lewiston for #BBCBreakfast https://t.co/NRoupRpOM3 pic.twitter.com/raIzTbZfBH
— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) October 26, 2023
Maine shooting toll set to rise
The complete death toll has not yet been confirmed but it is believed to be at least 16, with unconfirmed reports of a further 50 people injured
Lewiston has a population of just 38,000 people and is the second largest city in Maine after Portland.
Billy Jayne Cooke, who is running for the city council in Lewiston, told the BBC that she had ben leaving an event when the shooting broke out. She said:
“Helicopters, sirens, I’ve never heard so much activity in my life in this city. We have police from all over the state, from out of the state, coming up. The whole city is on lockdown. It’s horrible. You just don’t think that’s ever going to happen and it did.”
The Schemengees Bar and Grill, location of the second shooting, posted to Facebook about the tragic incidents:
‘My heart is crushed. I am at a loss for words. In a split second your world gets turn upside down for no good reason. We lost great people in this community. How can we make any sense of this. Sending out prayers to everyone.’
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office have released images of Robert Card who they believe to be the shooter. The images show him in a brown sweater carrying a firearm walking into a building.
Police are looking for Robert Card!! Person of interest in tonight’s mass shooting in Lewiston Maine that killed 22 people. Former military‼️ pic.twitter.com/Qo1AIaJyS8
— Kendall Rae (@KendallRaeOnYT) October 26, 2023
Card is a firearms instructor who was trained by the US military at a facility in the city of Saco, Maine.
He’s also believed to have spent time at a mental health centre this summer after threatening to commit a shooting at the military base.
Authorities have also shared images of a white vehicle with its front bumper painted black. They asked anyone who recognises it to contact police immediately.
The Central Maine Medical Centre have said that they are responding to a “mass casualty, mass shooter event”.
They are currently coordinating with other hospitals in the area to treat the injured after this tragic Maine shooting scenario.
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