Manhunt underway after deadliest mass shooting of the year leaves 18 dead in Maine

The sequence of events unfolded as it usually does — a pattern that is tragically familiar in the United States. First, it emerged that there was a gunman in Lewiston, the second most populous city in the small northeastern state of Maine. Then, that he had targeted various locations, which in the end turned out to be two: a bowling alley and a restaurant. Police then reported “multiple victims,” without giving further details, and that the suspect was “active” and at large. Authorities warned that residents should shelter in place in their homes until further notice. The area went on alert. Then, finally, on Thursday morning came the fatal confirmation: Robert Card, a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve, killed 18 people Wednesday night and injured 13, Maine Governor Janet Mills said in a news conference.

Confusion reigned in the hours following the shooting. Several U.S. media outlets quantified at least 22 dead (as previously stated in this article), based on a live TV interview with a Lewiston city councilman aired Wednesday night. On Thursday morning, the Democratic governor held a press conference at Lewiston City Hall to clarify and expand on the little information that had thus far been made public. Officials detailed that seven people (six men and one woman) died at the bowling alley, another eight at the restaurant and three more after being transported to the hospital.

Mills recalled that Card, whose whereabouts remain unknown, is “armed and very dangerous.” She also regretted that the shooting had tarnished the state’s reputation as “one of the safest places.” “This is a dark day for Maine,” she added. The state only had 29 homicides last year.

As of Thursday morning, a manhunt was underway as authorities searched for Card, 40, of Bowdoin. Police asked residents in the towns of Lewiston, nearby Lisbon — where the suspect is believed to have gone —, Bowdoin, Sabattus and Auburn to remain in their homes. Authorities feared Card was attempting to flee to Canada, since the nearest point of the border is just over two hours’ drive from Lewiston. They released an image of a white SUV, apparently owned by the suspect, that was found in Lisbon, and another photo of Card wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt and carrying a military style semi-automatic rifle, a weapon also tragically familiar in today’s United States.

The governor said she has spoken twice with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The White House issued a statement Thursday lamenting the event and calling once more for a ban on assault weapons. “Once again, our nation is in mourning after yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting,” the president said, urging residents in the area to heed warnings and guidance from local authorities.

“Far too many Americans have now had a family member killed or injured as a result of gun violence. That is not normal, and we cannot accept it,” Biden added, before speaking directly to the Republican Party: “I urge Republican lawmakers in Congress to fulfill their duty to protect the American people. Work with us to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to enact universal background checks, to require safe storage of guns, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers. This is the very least we owe every American who will now bear the scars — physical and mental — of this latest attack.”

The Wednesday night shooting is the 565th mass shooting so far this year and the deadliest of them all, according to Gun Violence Archive, an organization that monitors gun violence in the United States. To get added to the list, a shooting has to result in four people wounded or killed by bullets, not counting the assailant. The victims cannot be members of the same family. The total comes out to almost two mass shootings per day in 2023. Until Wednesday, the deadliest shootings of the year had occurred in January in Monterey Park, California (11 killed) and Allen (Texas), with eight.

After 11:30 p.m., Commissioner Mike Sauschuck of the Department of Public Safety held a press conference, in which he gave some details about the suspect. He said that Card should be considered armed and dangerous, adding that the crisis began at around 6 p.m. local time. He then opened the floor for questions, just two, apologizing in advance because he’d surely lack answers to so many doubts. He did not even want to confirm the number of dead and defined the situation as very changeable.

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