What to know about Lewiston, Maine, where a mass shooting has left at least 18 people dead

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of Just-In-Time Recreation, a recently renamed bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, because information provided by police was incorrect.

At least 18 people were killed after a gunman opened fire Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine, sending the city into lockdown as residents took cover from an at-large suspect.

Lewiston Police said they responded to active shooter calls at a bowling alley known as Sparetime Recreation but recently renamed Just-In-Time Recreation, and then Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant. The two locations are about four miles apart.

As of Thursday afternoon, the search for a suspect, Robert Card, 40, was still underway.

Officials have ordered lockdowns and asked residents to shelter in place in several towns surrounding the city. Schools in Lewiston, Bowdoin, Lisbon, were closed. Police found a car they believe belongs to Card in Lisbon.

Here's what to know about Lewiston.

More: Maine shooting live updates: Latest news on manhunt for Robert Card, a person of interest

Lewiston, Maine map shows location of shootings

Police responded to active shooter calls at Schemengees Bar and Grille and the bowling alley, Just-In-Time Recreation.

Lewiston population: What to know about Maine's second most populous city

Lewiston, about 35 miles north of Portland, is the small state's second most populous city with around 38,500 residents, according to a 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimate.

Located on the east side of the Androscoggin River, the city was known for its textile mills in the 1800s and early 1900s, the city's official site said.

The city is predominantly white (roughly 83% of residents), with a higher poverty rate (16.3%) and lower median household income ($48,000) than national averages, Census Bureau estimates show.

Lewiston in shock; businesses shut down

Allen Smith, co-owner of Forage Market on 180 Lisbon Street, right in between the two shooting sites, said his family locked their doors, "which we almost never do," and called friends and family after gunfire erupted Wednesday night.

He told USA TODAY that Forage Market staff often visit the bowling alley where the shooting occurred, adding he's hurt by how the shooting affected people there.

The shooting has rocked the tight-knit community where people are almost always one-degree of connection away from one another, he said.

"There's always some connection to one another even if they don't feel physically connected," he said.

But through the community's pain, he said people are reaching out and caring for one another.

"A lot of shared concern, camaraderie and messaging for people being OK and general concerns for people who've lost others."

"My heart is crushed. I am at a loss for words. In a split second your world gets turn (sic) upside down for no good reason," reads a Facebook post from Schemengees Bar and Grille. "How can we make any sense of this. Sending out prayers to everyone."

2002: Mayor's letter to Somali community ignites criticism

In the early 2000s, Lewiston saw a rise in Somali families moving in, News Center Maine reported. Somali refugees saw hope in reviving the former bustling industrial city that by this point had many abandoned homes and stores.

However, as the immigrant population grew, the town made national headlines over racial tensions with the demographic shift. In 2002, former mayor Laurier T. Raymond Jr.'s penned a letter to the editor asking the Somali community to stop bringing their families to Lewiston, saying the city's budgets were being burdened by the rapidly expanding Somali population.

The following year, a small white supremacist group held a rally in support Raymond's letter and thousands more rallied in support of the Somali community, local news archives show.

The tension ended up being a turning point, with many more refugees making their way to Lewiston, including immigrants from other African nations.

Lewiston continues to be a haven for asylum seekers to this day.

Lewiston's Bates College cancels new president's inauguration

Lewiston is also home to Bates College, a private liberal arts college with just under 2,000 enrolled students.

The school was placed on a lockdown on Wednesday.

"We know this is extraordinarily difficult, particularly for those students who have not been able to return to their residence halls," the college wrote in an advisory on Thursday.

Some of the school's most notable alumni include former Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, news anchor Doug White, managing editor of The New York Times Carolyn Ryan, and political commentator Michael Brooks.

On Thursday, the college announced it would be cancelling events celebrating the inauguration of the college's new president, Garry W. Jenkins. Jenkins is the college's eighth president since its founding in 1855. He's also the college's first Black and gay president.

Central Maine Community College advises students to go home

Central Maine Community College in Auburn, located right across the Androscoggin River from Lewiston, closed its campus and cancelled classes through the weekend. Athletic events are also cancelled or postponed throughout the weekend.

Students were urged to go home, but some without the means to leave can remain in the dorms.

Andrew Morong, dean of enrollment management and a member of the college's emergency response team, told USA TODAY the shooting will have "immense ripple effects for not months but years into our community."

"Driving through Lewiston to get home felt like a ghost town and other parts felt like hot beds with a lot of police and fire," Morong said. "It was eerie driving through the city last night."

Contributing: Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where is Lewiston, Maine? Population, college, what to know about city