Maine shooting manhunt enters second day, residents still sheltering in place

Authorities were still searching Friday for the suspect in a mass shooting that killed at least 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, as the 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. 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-police orders and had been told to lock their doors as federal, state, county and municipal law enforcement searched for Card, police said.

Police executed several search warrants in Bowdoin on Thursday night.

Law enforcement have received more than 530 tips and leads from the public so far, said Mike Sauschuck, Maine’s public safety commissioner.

Sauschuck was asked Friday whether he was concerned that the trail may be growing cold given that Card remains at large as the search continues for a second day.

“Every minute that this goes on, we’re more and more concerned,” Sauschuck told reporters at a briefing. “That’s why we’re working 24/7 to bring this individual to justice and to try to bring some closure and overall safety to our communities.”

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 U.S. Department of Defense.

As recently as this summer, Card suffered from mental health issues, law enforcement and Defense Department officials told NBC News. His superiors in the Army sent him to an inpatient facility in July after he claimed to hear voices and made threats to the base. There, Card underwent psychiatric treatment for two weeks and was then released, officials said.

The rifle used by the gunman was purchased legally this year, law enforcement told NBC News.

Police said a shooter opened fire at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille on Wednesday evening, killing seven people at the bowling alley and eight people at the bar. Three people were later pronounced dead at the hospital. The two business are about 12 minutes apart by car.

Eight victims remained hospitalized Thursday evening, five of whom were in stable condition and three who were in critical condition, said Steve Littleson, CEO of Central Maine Medical Center.

The mass shooting has reignited America’s long running but politically stalled debate over gun control.

President Joe Biden on Thursday called for Republican lawmakers to work with Democrats to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, enact universal background checks and require the safe storage of firearms.

Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, on Thursday announced that he would support a prohibition on assault weapons, after previously opposing such a ban. Golden represents the congressional district that includes Lewiston.

“I ask for forgiveness and support as I seek to put an end to these terrible shootings,” Golden told reporters at a press conference Thursday evening.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, demurred when asked whether she would support an assault weapons ban in the wake of the shooting. Collins said outlawing high-capacity magazines would be more effective.

A ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines has virtually no chance of passing Congress given the staunch opposition to gun control by most Republicans, who control the House of Representatives.

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