Robert Card, 40, opened fire with an AR-15 rifle in several areas of Lewiston, Maine’s second-largest city. According to the latest official report, at least 22 people were killed and 80 were injured. But the consequences of the shooting could get even worse in the next few hours. Card, a former military weapons instructor, is still on the run. The police and FBI are conducting a manhunt. While residents were ordered to stay home and lock themselves in as the attacker was “armed and dangerous.” Around 7 p.m. (local time), Card opened fire at a bar and restaurant in Lewiston, the Schemengees Bar, where locals gather to eat and play pool. Then we go to “Sparetime Recreation”, a bowling alley. Where there were between 100 and 150 people at the time of the massacre, including at least twenty children.
The shootings and the hospitalization
Finally, he shot up a Walmart department store. Card spent twenty years in the Army, where he reached the rank of sergeant. He lost his job due to mental health problems. According to some local media reports, which have not been officially confirmed by police, he has a history of assault. He said he heard voices threatening to open fire on the Saco National Guard base. The perpetrator of the massacre acted in two nearby towns, Lewiston and Auburn, separated by a river. Maine police have released a photo of the gunman suspected of opening fire in three different areas of Lewiston. Officers also posted a photo online of his vehicle, a white car with the driver’s door open.
The massacre and the weapons in the USA
The car was identified as a Subaru Outback. Card is said to have recently had mental health problems, which caused him to be hospitalized for two weeks over the summer before being released. Rumor has it that he recently lost his job. Maine Governor Janet Mills is closely monitoring the evolving situation and urges citizens to follow the instructions of law enforcement. President Joe Biden was briefed on the massacre during the state dinner for Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese. And in a conversation with the governor, he offered needed federal support in the face of a “terrible” attack. The incident is likely to reignite the gun debate in the USA.
The district in lockdown
Androscoggin County, where the city of Lewiston, Maine, is located, is currently under lockdown: The Portland Press Herald reports, adding that the hunt for the person responsible for the massacre continues. Authorities have urged residents of the county to stay in their homes and keep their doors locked. Meanwhile, the car belonging to the suspect – 40-year-old Robert Card – was found in the nearby city of Lisbon.
Cover image from: The Boston Globe
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