The person involved in the mass shooting in Maine that left at least 22 people dead has been identified as a trained firearms instructor who spent two weeks in a mental health facility over the summer.
Robert Card, 40, was the subject of a manhunt in connection with the massacre in the city of Lewiston on Wednesday evening.
Card is from Bowdoin, Maine – a town of just over 3,000 residents – and is believed to be an Army reservist stationed in Saco.
The 40-year-old has struggled with mental health issues and recently reported that he had “heard voices” and threats to attack the military training area.
In the summer he was admitted to a psychiatric facility for two weeks.
The person of interest in the shooting in Lewiston, Maine, has been identified as 40-year-old Robert Card
Surveillance footage from the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley showed a bearded man carrying an assault rifle
Authorities say Card is merely a person of interest and have declined to call him a suspect
Card also reportedly lost his job recently.
Authorities have reiterated that Card is only a person of interest and have refused to call him a suspect at this time.
The Lewiston Police Department issued a statement Wednesday evening urging people to contact police with information about his whereabouts.
“Law enforcement is attempting to locate Robert Card (4/4/1983) as a person of interest in the mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Sparetime Recreation this evening,” it said. “Card should be viewed as armed and dangerous.”
He was last known to be driving a white Subaru Outback with a black bumper.
Maine State Police released their own statement saying the car had been located.
“A vehicle of special interest has been located in Lisbon and we are now asking residents of Lisbon to take shelter while law enforcement in the area works to locate Card,” it said.
The manhunt expanded Wednesday evening as hundreds of local and federal law enforcement officers surrounded Lisbon and the nearby Lisbon Falls.
The gunman opened fire at the bowling alley and a local bar. It was not believed to be related to a separate shooting at a Walmart distribution center
Maine State Police say Card is considered armed and dangerous
The 40-year-old is a trained firearms instructor and army reservist stationed in the city of Saco
Card, who recently reported “hearing voices,” was committed to a psychiatric facility for two weeks over the summer
At least 22 people were killed and over 60 were injured in the massacre on Wednesday evening
The shooting is the deadliest in the United States this year. Pictured: Police officers stand guard outside Central Maine Medical Center
Lewiston police responded to an active shooting at two different locations – the Schemenges Bar & Grille Restaurant and a bowling alley – Wednesday evening.
Another shooting was reported at a Walmart distribution center, but a company spokesperson told CNN that none of the Walmart facilities were involved in the incident.
Surveillance footage from inside Sparetime Recreation showed a bearded man in a brown hoodie holding an AR-15 rifle.
22 were killed and over 60 injured, prompting hospitals in Maine to declare a mass casualty event.
Police from surrounding states, including Massachusetts, were deployed, according to a post from the Boston office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation also offered assistance to authorities in Maine, while state police urged people to shelter in place with doors locked.
Wednesday night’s shooting is the deadliest in the United States this year.