The perpetrator of the murder that rocked the community of Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday was reportedly found dead by police on Friday.
• Also read: Robert Card’s ex-wife and son went into hiding
• Also read: A “suicide note” was found in the suspect’s home
• Also read: Robert Card’s remains were found in a neglected location
“Robert Card is dead,” Maine Governor Janet Mills declared bluntly at a press conference.
“I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone,” she continued.
Mills said she contacted President Joe Biden to tell him the good news. “Tonight begins a long road to recovery for the city of Lewiston and the state of Maine, but we will get through this together,” she added, thanking the hundreds of police officers who took part in the search.
Police briefly suggested that the suspect shot himself in the head, CNN reported. Authorities declined to provide further details for the evening. Another press conference is scheduled for Saturday morning around 10 a.m.
Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck also confirmed that Robert Card’s body was found in a wooded area near a river in Lisbon, a few miles from Lewiston, around 7:45 p.m. The suspect’s car was also found in Lisbon after the murder.
- Listen to the report by Yves Poirier, journalist at TVA Nouvelles QUB radio :
Several media outlets also reported on Friday that authorities during searches found a note left by Card indicating that he did not expect to be found alive.
Earlier in the evening, the ballet played non-stop in Lewiston, the city where a gunman killed 18 people at a restaurant and bowling alley on Wednesday night.
Two days after the deadliest mass shooting of the year in the United States, convoys of police cars drove by at full speed, sirens blaring.
Each time, the trapped residents wonder if the shooter and his semi-automatic rifle have finally been found.
Heavily equipped and armed, agents from various police forces and federal agencies roamed the woods of Monmouth, a town about a 20-minute drive from Lewiston, on Friday, searching for the killer. Photo AFP
Under water and in the forest
Throughout the day, police spared no interest in finding the suspect.
Agents wearing bulletproof vests ducked into trees to search the forest while others jumped into a river to locate evidence or “potential bodies,” according to CBS.
The two-day lockdown imposed on Lewiston residents will be lifted starting today, but hunting will remain prohibited.
“State police recommend remaining vigilant. Businesses are free to open or remain closed,” said a message sent via an alert system to cellphones in the area.
More than 530 titles
Authorities said during a news conference Friday morning that they had received more than 530 “tips and information.”
However, they haven’t seen Robert Card since that bloody evening.
They encouraged people to continue to come forward and send in any video they have because a crucial clue could be found in a citizen’s seemingly innocuous recording, they said.
Difficult to identify victims
Multiple sources told CNN on Friday that the killer legally purchased the murder weapon just 10 days before he was hospitalized last July for mental health issues.
However, according to CNN, it is a Ruger SFAR in .308 caliber, which is particularly used by snipers in the army.
Additionally, Robert Card would have shot almost all of his victims in the head, making their identification more difficult.
–With AFP
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