Maine shooting update: Lewiston shooter’s gun history emerges as locals host vigil
As residents of Lewiston come together to mourn after a mass shooting left 18 people dead and 13 injured, reports are emerging that reveal the shooter was previously denied the purchase of a gun silencer and had been alerted to law enforcement weeks before the mass shooting.
The gunman, Robert Card, had attempted to buy a silence but was unable to after he voluntarily disclosed he had been admitted to a mental health institution on a federal form, the owner of the gun shop told ABC News.
The new report comes after claims that law enforcement agencies were alerted about some of the gunman’s alarming behaviour.
The Maine National Guard had asked local police in September to check on the US Army reservist amid concerns that he would “snap and commit a mass shooting”, according to CNN.
Investigations into the gunman’s history are underway. Meanwhile, thousands of Lewiston residents gathered for a vigil on Sunday night to honour the victims killed.
Residents told The Independent that they were coming together “to show these people that we love them and that they’re not alone” after a shelter-in-place order was lifted and the gunman was found dead.
Key points
All 18 victims of Maine mass-shooting identified by authorities
‘A love that cannot be gunned down’: Lewiston holds vigil for shooting victims
Ten-year-old girl injured in Maine bowling alley shooting asks heartbreaking question
14-year-old boy identified as victim of Lewiston mass shooting
Map of Maine shooting locations as manhunt continues
Lewiston Police Department thank resources for help during manhunt
20:30 , Ariana Baio
Victims of the Maine shooting: Tricia Asselin
20:00 , Ariana Baio
Tricia Asselin, 53, worked part-time at Just-In-Time Recreation and was bowling on Wednesday night when the gunman came in and opened fire, according to CNN.
Her brother DJ Johnson told the outlet: “What I’m told is that when it all started happening, she ran up to the counter and started to call 911, and that’s when she was shot.
“That was just her. She wasn’t going to run (away). She was going to try and help.”
Mr Johnson said that his sister was “the rock” of his family. He added that his other sister was also at the bowling alley but was able to escape.
Ms Asselin’s sister Bobbi Lynn-Nichols told People magazine “We were just running, and I kept saying: ‘I want my sister out of there’. And she called 911 and put herself in his way by trying to get help. She’s a hero. My sister is a hero.”
Mystery note left behind by Maine mass shooting suspect revealed
19:30 , Rachel Sharp
Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card left behind a mystery note after he allegedly went on a killing rampage at a bowling alley and bar in the small town of Lewiston.
Maine’s Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck confirmed in a press conference on Friday that a note had been recovered in the wake of Wednesday’s attacks which left 18 victims dead and another 13 wounded.
However, Mr Sauschuck refused to reveal the contents of the note, hinting that it may point to a possible motive for the killings.
The revelation came hours before authorities found Card’s body in a wooded area close to a recycling area where he used to work. He appeared to have died from a self-inflicted wound.
Police sources had previously told ABC News that a “suicide note” addressed to his son had been found inside Mr Card’s home during a search.
The sources said the note contained the suspect’s rantings as well as some personal information such as bank account details.
As well as the note, a law enforcement official told CNN that Mr Card’s cellphone had also been recovered.
Details of the note come as authorities admitted that they still don’t know where the accused mass killer is almost 36 hours on from the shootings.
Divers had joined the search, scouring the waterways close to the boat landing where Card’s vehicle was found abandoned late on Wednesday night.
Victims of the Maine shooting: Bryan McFarlane
19:00 , Ariana Baio
Bryan MacFarlane was confirmed death by his sister. McFarlane was one of the participants in a deaf cornhole tournament that was happening in Schemengees bar when the second shooting incident occurred.
His sister told CNN that Mr McFarlane usually went to the bar on Wednesdays for weekly cornhole sessions and to hang out with his friends.
He was one of the first people in the state of Maine to get his commercial trucking license. He worked as a truck driver and loved riding his motorcycle and playing with his dog, his sister said.
Mr McFarlane’s stepmother, Catherine Dunn, also told CNN she was also concerned about his dog.
“He takes his dog everywhere,” she said. “I don’t know if his dog is in his truck at Schemengees’ bar, still. Or if he’s at his house, or if he’s still alive.”
Lewiston residents brave the streets amid manhunt after shelter-in-place lifted
18:30 , Ariana Baio
Traffic surged back onto the streets of Lewiston on Friday night after authorities rescinded a shelter-in-place order implemented when an armed suspect killed 18, injured 13 more and vanished without a trace two days earlier.
Andrea Blanco and Sheila Flynn report:
Lewiston locals brave the streets after shelter-in-place order lifted
Locals remember victims at a community vigil
18:00 , Andrea Blanco and Sheila Flynn
Locals were fortifying themselves for more memorials and upcoming funerals; thousands of Mainers from near and far headed to a vigil Sunday night at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The church holds 2,200, but authorities had already set up a large outdoor screen on church grounds to deal with overflow before services began.
Almost everyone walking into the Basilica had some personal connection to the tragedy in the tight-knit New England community.
Greg Hird, 38, had played in the same bowling league as Tricia Asselin, the sole woman killed in the massacre, and regularly bowled with her. When he heard the news of the shooting, he called her phone eight times — but no one answered.
“She was just the greatest person ever,” said Mr Hird, weeping as he spoke about his friend. “No matter what was going on in her life, she would give everything back. Truly the sweetest woman I’ve ever met.”
Lewiston resident tried to save children during massacre
17:30 , Andrea Blanco and Sheila Flynn
Thomas Giberti, the 69-year-old former manager of the bowling alley where a Maine shooter began a shooting rampage that killed 18, astonishingly left a Lewiston-area hospital on Saturday just days after the attack – carrying seven new bullet wounds and a deep grief for friends massacred.
“He’s been through a few surgeries over the last couple days,” his nephew, Will Bourgault, told The Independent. “It’s pretty much a miracle, honestly. He was shot four times in his left leg and three times in his right leg.”
Mr Giberti, who regularly spends evenings at Just-In-Time Recreation and knows the bowling alley intimately as a former employee, had stepped away from the lanes in the moments before the shooting started – but returned to find flashes of light and quickly realised an attack was underway.
He was trying to shepherd children at the bowling alley to safety but was struck by gunfire in the back doorway, his nephew said. Instinctively swinging his legs out of the way, he managed to pull himself against a corner and sat there until a paramedic found him and made a tourniquet with Mr Giberti’s own belt to stop the bleeding.
“He’s a very humble person and doesn’t like the spotlight at all,” Mr Bourgault told The Independent. “He said, ‘I’m not a hero, I just reacted,’ ... And I told him, ‘Tom, that’s what heroes do. You could have run out the back door yourself, but you didn’t. You chose to go into the bowling alley where the gunfire was coming from and get those kids.’”
Maine police were warned about gunman weeks before rampage
17:00 , Ariana Baio
A statewide awareness alert was issued in mid-September to watch for Robert Card after he made threats against a National Guard base in Saco, Maine.
The Sagadahoc County sergeant learned that a fellow guardsman had raised concerns that Card would “snap and commit a mass shooting”.
A statewide awareness alert was issued in mid-September asking every law enforcement agency in the state to watch for the suspected gunman – but police were unable to locate him.
Kelly Rissman and Martha McHardy report:
Maine police reveal major warning sign ahead of Lewiston shooting
Maine State Police release victim’s personal property
16:30 , Ariana Baio
On Monday, the Maine State Police said they were able to release personal property belonging to the victims of the mass shooting that occurred last week.
Law enforcement officials are asking people to go to the Family Assistance Center at the Lewiston Armory to pick up any property.
At a cafe on Saturday, friends honour the life of Rob Morin
16:00 , Sheila Flynn and Andrea Blanco
The morning after Maine authorities lifted a shelter-in-place order upon discovery of the fugitive shooter’s body, popular Lewiston breakfast spot DuBois Cafe reopened.
Beloved regular Ronald Morin, who came in most Saturdays to entertain staff with his dad jokes as he ordered the same meal, wasn’t there.
But his friends were.
“They filled up this entire corner of the restaurant, and they all got something similar – so he would typically get a ham and Cooper cheese omelet, hash browns on the side, no toast typically, and bacon on the side,” waitress Alyssa Black told The Independent on Sunday. “Everyone came in yesterday, and they got pretty much his meal – the bacon on the side, no toast, no sides.”
Mr Morin was among the 18 people killed Wednesday night when 40-year-old Army reservist Robert Card opened fire at a Lewiston bar and a bowling alley, injuring 13 more and forever scarring Maine’s second-largest city.
“It was hard coming into work yesterday,” says Ms Black, a mother of two young boys and a Maine native, describing the mood amongst Mr Morin’s friends and the cafe staff as “heavy but light.”
“We’re finally ready to move forward. So it was sad and heavy; we feel it in people’s hearts and in people’s spirits,” she said. “But people were happy, because people were excited to come together again, and they were excited to celebrate him – because what the shooter took from him, we can never get that back. So we wanted to celebrate him in who he was, and he was a wonderful, wonderful man.”
Maine shooter was denied purchase of silencer months earlier
15:30 , Ariana Baio
Approximately three months before Robert Card killed 18 people and injured 13 others in a shooting in Lewiston, Maine, a gun shop denied him the purchase of a firearm silencer after he disclosed that he had mental health problems according to reports.
Rick LaChapelle, the owner of Coastal Defense Firearms in the nearby town of Auburn, told ABC News that Card tried to buy a silencer on 5 August.
“He came in and filled out the form, he checked off a box that incriminated himself saying that he was in an institution,” Mr LaChapelle said.
The shooter previously spent time in a mental health rehabilitation center after reporting auditory hallucinations.
He reported his stay on Form 4473 which asks: “Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?”
“Our staff was fantastic, let him finish filling out the form, and said, ‘I’m sorry, Mr Card, we cannot give you this… at this point in time, we cannot release this silencer to you because of the answers that you’ve given us.”
A person cannot purchase a silencer if they have been determined to be mentally unfit – that is if they are a danger to themselves or others or if they have been involuntarily admitted to a mental institution.
Though the gunman had mental health problems, he was able to purchase his firearm legally. In Maine, a person can buy a gun from a licensed gun dealer without a concealed carry permit – though they still have to pass a federal background check.
The FBI said there was no information on the gunman when conducting a background check that would have prevented him from legally purchasing a firearm.
People can also buy firearms at a gun show in Maine to bypass the background check requirement.
Mr LaChapelle said that after they turned him away from the purchase, he was “polite”.
“He says, ‘Not a problem. Ok, let me have my attorney look at it, and I’ll just come back and get it later on... Then he left the store and never came back,” Mr LaChapelle said.
Victims of the Maine shooting: Joseph Walker
15:00 , Ariana Baio
The father of Joseph Walker – a bar manager at Schemengees Bar & Grille in Lewiston – identified his son as one of the 18 victims who died in Wednesday’s shooting in Maine.
It took over 14 hours for Mr Walker to be notified about his son, and he said his family was “suffering and dying in a nightmare we don’t understand.”
Joseph Walker’s wife, Tracey, posted a plea on Facebook for answers about her husband after she hadn’t heard from him following the shooting.
“Please pray, I haven’t heard anything about my husband Joseph Walker he was at Schemengee’s,” she wrote.
Earlier on Thursday, the bar manager’s devastated father told NBC that he knew his son was dead.
“If you had my gut right now, I feel like I’m squashed with a vice,” Mr Walker said at the time. “My neck in the back of my head feels like there’s a vice squashing it the other way.”
“And I don’t know, telling you the truth, what kind of night this is going to be from now until tomorrow when I wake up to the true facts that my son is dead -- and I know he’s dead. I know it as well as I know I’m standing here telling you because he’s not here and he’s not at any other hospital and he’s not running the streets or he would have called us, because he manages Schemengees, so I know he was there.”
Maine State Police release vehicles from scene of shooting
14:30 , Ariana Baio
On Saturday, the Maine State Police told residents who had vehicles at Just-in-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille they were able to retrieve them.
Police said the first wave of vehicles would be released to those who have their car keys in their possession.
“If you have your keys in your possession you or a loved one are now free to retrieve your vehicle. For the remaining vehicles we are working to release those as soon as possible,” the Maine State Police said on Saturday.
The police were hoping to release all other vehicles by Sunday.
In photos: Locals attend vigil for victims of Maine shooting
14:00 , Ariana Baio
On Sunday evening, more than 1,000 members of the Lewiston community came together to honour the lives lost in the mass shooting that took place last week.
Photos from the event show mourners gathered with candles, photos, flowers and more to remember the 18 people killed and pray for the 13 others injured after the shooting.
Members of the community used American Sign Language to sign “I love you” in honour of the four deaf people who were killed during the shooting.
Victims of the Maine shooting: Aaron and Bill Young
13:30 , Ariana Baio
Aaron Young, 14, and his father, Bill Young, 44, went to Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley for an evening with their bowling league on Wednesday night when gunfire erupted.
Young’s brother, Rob, told Reuters that for hours after the shooting, their family had no idea what happened to the father and son.
Bill’s cousin Kim McConville told NBC News that the family had tracked his cellphone and found it located at the bowling alley where the first shooting took place.
“It’s total chaos,” she told the network prior to learning of their deaths.
“People aren’t getting any of the information they need. You know, it’s there. They’re not getting anything new. They’re not telling them any more than we’re getting off a news conference.”
The search ended tragically on Thursday afternoon when the family learned that both the father and son were killed in the attack.
Ms McConville said that they were just “innocent people” enjoying a night together at the bowling alley.
“Just innocent people out for a night of bowling,” she said. “This was a children’s event. You know, who expects a shooter to go into a children’s event? But you know, this is a crazy world that we live in today.”
13:00 , Kelly Rissman
A hero emerges during the shooting
Thomas Giberti now has seven bullet wounds after being struck in Wednesday’s attacks at the bowling alley, Just-In-Time Recreation.
He was trying to shepherd children at the bowling alley to safety but was struck by gunfire in the back doorway, his nephew said. Instinctively swinging his legs out of the way, he managed to pull himself against a corner and sat there until a paramedic found him and made a tourniquet with Mr Giberti’s own belt to stop the bleeding.
“He’s a very humble person and doesn’t like the spotlight at all,” Mr Bourgault, Mr Giberti’s nephew, told The Independent. “He said, ‘I’m not a hero, I just reacted,’ ... And I told him, ‘Tom, that’s what heroes do. You could have run out the back door yourself, but you didn’t. You chose to go into the bowling alley where the gunfire was coming from and get those kids.’”
Sheila Flynn and Andrea Blanco have the full story from Lewiston...
Lewiston locals untangle grief and relief in the wake of Maine’s first mass shooting
Maine police were warned gunman would ‘snap and commit mass shooting’ weeks before rampage
12:30 , Rachel Sharp
Maine police were warned that Robert Card would “snap and commit a mass shooting” weeks before his rampage, according to reports.
The Maine National Guard asked local police to conduct a welfare check on Card, an army reservist, after he made threats against his US army base, less than six weeks before he killed 18 people in a mass shooting on Wednesday, CNN reported, citing a law enforcement source.
A statewide awareness alert was issued in mid-September to watch for Card, but police were unable to locate him. The Sagadahoc County sergeant later learned a fellow guardsman was “concerned” Card would “snap and commit a mass shooting”.
Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry said he sent the awareness alert to every law enforcement agency in the state after his deputy conducted a welfare check to Card’s home without any sign of the reservist.
Read the stort here:
Maine police reveal major warning sign ahead of Lewiston shooting
12:00 , Kelly Rissman
WATCH: Vice President Kamala Harris condemns ‘senseless gun violence’
Heartbreaking tribute to victim at Lewiston cafe
11:30 , Rachel Sharp
The morning after Maine authorities lifted a shelter-in-place order upon discovery of the fugitive shooter’s body, popular Lewiston breakfast spot DuBois Cafe reopened.
Beloved regular Ronald Morin, who came in most Saturdays to entertain staff with his dad jokes as he ordered the same meal, wasn’t there. But his friends were.
“They filled up this entire corner of the restaurant, and they all got something similar – so he would typically get a ham and Cooper cheese omelet, hash browns on the side, no toast typically, and bacon on the side,” waitress Alyssa Black told The Independent on Sunday. “Everyone came in yesterday, and they got pretty much his meal – the bacon on the side, no toast, no sides.”
Ms Black, 33, had loved serving the 55-year-old, describing him as “a treasured member of the community” who regularly spoke about his children and “was just a beacon of light and fun and such a wonderful gentleman.”
Mr Morin was among the 18 people killed Wednesday night when 40-year-old Army reservist Robert Card opened fire at a Lewiston bar and a bowling alley, injuring 13 more and forever scarring Maine’s second-largest city.
Sheila Flynn and Andrea Blanco reporting from Lewiston
11:00 , Kelly Rissman
Ominous timing: The Senate passed a relevant amendment just before the shooting
Mere hours before Robert Card, a US army reservist, allegedly began his shooting spree on Wednesday, the Senate approved an amendment that would cut down background check requirements for some veterans and service members with mental health issues.
The amendment aims to prevent veterans from losing their gun rights, and prevents the Department of Veterans Affairs from reporting certain veterans to the National Criminal Background Check system when their finances are being managed by a conservator at the VA.
Reports have suggested that Card had been hearing voices and was upset by them. Officials also said at Saturday’s press conference that there is a “strong mental health cloud over what happened,” but dismissed the theory that he had been hearing voices.
‘A love that cannot be gunned down’: Lewiston holds vigil for shooting victims
10:30 , Rachel Sharp
Thousands turned out on Sunday night at a Maine basilica for a vigil remembering those senselessly killed days earlier by the state’s first mass shooter – as friends and family remembered loved ones with smaller, beautiful gestures, as well.
Andrea Blanco and Sheila Flynn report from on the ground in Lewiston, Maine
‘A love that cannot be gunned down’: Lewiston holds vigil for shooting victims
10:06 , Kelly Rissman
What was the motive for the attack?
Perhaps the biggest question looming in the wake of the tragedy is what could have driven suspect Robert Card to execute this brutal attack?
However, Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck confirmed at an early press conference on Friday that the suspect did leave behind a mystery note after allegedly going on the killing rampage.
Officials have refused to reveal the contents of the note, hinting that it may point to a possible motive for the killings.
Police sources had previously told ABC News that a “suicide note” addressed to his son had been found inside Card’s home during a search.
The sources said the note contained the suspect’s rantings as well as some personal information such as bank account details.
As well as the note, a law enforcement official told CNN that Card’s cellphone had also been recovered.
09:00 , Kelly Rissman
The ‘difficult corner’ Republicans have found themselves in regarding guns
The interview illustrates well the difficult corner where Republicans now find themselves — simultaneously pushing for the government to have more power against individuals in some areas and less power in others. And unable to risk the political consequences of supporting reforms to gun legislation, the party finds itself in the wilderness when attempting to offer meaningful responses to mass shootings, John Bowden reports.
Read the full story...
Ron DeSantis spins contradictory gun views after Maine shooting
08:00 , Kelly Rissman
The president’s response to the shooting
This was a tragic two days for the families in Maine who have been devastated by gun violence.
At least eighteen souls brutally slain and more injured, and scores of family and friends praying and experiencing trauma no one ever wants to imagine.
We’re grateful that Lewiston…— President Biden (@POTUS) October 28, 2023
Americans should not have to live like this. I call on Republicans in Congress to fulfill their obligation to keep Americans safe. And I will continue doing everything in my power to end this gun violence epidemic.
The Lewiston community, and all Americans, deserve nothing less.— President Biden (@POTUS) October 28, 2023
07:00 , Kelly Rissman
Mystery lingers around the note left by the suspected shooter
Maine’s Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck confirmed in a press conference on Friday that a note had been recovered in the wake of Wednesday’s attacks which left 18 victims dead and another 13 wounded.
However, Mr Sauschuck refused to reveal the contents of the note, hinting that it may point to a possible motive for the killings.
The revelation came hours before authorities found Card’s body in a wooded area close to a recycling area where he used to work. He appeared to have died from a self-inflicted wound.
Police sources had previously told ABC News that a “suicide note” addressed to his son had been found inside Mr Card’s home during a search.
Victims of the Maine shooting: Peyton Brewer-Ross
12:32 , Ariana Baio
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40, is among the victims of the mass shooting.
The Maine AFL-CIO – a state federation of over 160 local labor unions – announced that Brewer-Ross was among those killed. He worked at a pipe shop in Bath Iron Works.
Brewer-Ross was a father and “loved by his community” the federation wrote on X, sharing a picture of him smiling and holding a young child. He was also a member of the Machinists Local S6 union.
He was a lover of the game cornhole and was at Schemengees Bar and Grille playing in a tournament went the gunman opened fire.
He is survived by his fiance and his daughter.
05:00 , Kelly Rissman
A timeline of the tragedy
Months before the deadly attacks, Robert Card, a US Army reservist, was reportedly held in a mental facility for weeks over the summer. He was taken by police in July for evaluation at the urging of concerned military officials.
In mid-September, a statewide awareness alert was issued after Card made threats against the base in Saco, Maine.
Fast forward to Wednesday, 25 October...
Minutes before 7pm on Wednesday night, shots were fired at Just-in-Time Recreation, a bowling alley on Mollison Way in Lewiston, Maine.
At 7.08pm, multiple 911 calls reported an active shooter at Schemengees Bar and Grill on Lincoln Street, just four miles from the bowling alley.
Just after 8pm, Maine State Police urged Lewiston residents to shelter in place. “Please stay inside your home with the doors locked. Law enforcement is currently investigating at multiple locations,” the department wrote.
At 8.06pm, police released a photo of the shooter to the media, and an hour and a half later, the Lewiston Police Department received a call identifying the man in photos as Card. Among the first calls were from Card’s family members, officials revealed on Saturday morning.
Two hours later, at 9.56pm, state police officers alerted that they had found a “vehicle of interest” in Lisbon at Pejepscot Boat Launch, prompting the shelter-in-place advisory to extend to Lisbon. The Lewiston Police posted a photo on Wednesday night of a white Subaru station wagon. That vehicle was registered to Card, police said. A long gun was found in the vehicle.
By Friday evening, police had found Card’s body — in a box trailer in Maine Recycling Corporation’s overflow lot. Authorities believe he took his own life. It’s not entirely clear how Card wound up at the recycling facility, but it is believed that he walked from the boat landing via a trail that linked the two locations.
03:00 , Kelly Rissman
Maine Sen Susan Collins’ statement after the shooting
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) October 28, 2023
02:00 , Kelly Rissman
Lewiston begins to heal, days after gunman found dead
The parking lot was full Saturday morning at Governor’s Restaurant and Bakery in Lewiston after “a very quiet couple of days out here,” manager Brittany Peterson said. “There was no movement; the only movements that you heard were police sirens and helicopters.”
Local authorities announced counselling services at different locations on Saturday for people directly impacted by the shootings and for members of the wider community. Residents swarmed supermarkets and other stores, which had been completely shuttered since the shelter-in-place order was implemented on Wednesday as a manhunt began.
Sunday 29 October 2023 23:00 , Kelly Rissman
Heartbreaking final text to Maine mass shooting victim who died trying to take down Card, revealed
Thomas “Tommy” Conrad had been planning on doing a pumpkin carving at the bowling alley for the kids in the Lewiston community before a gunman opened fire in a mass shooting that claimed the lives of 18 people.
Now, mourners are leaving Jack-o-lanterns outside Just-In-Time Recreation as a tribute for the 34-year-old manager, who was killed in the attack while trying to take down the shooter.
As news of the massacre broke, Alex McMahan, who co-owns a chain of dispensaries in the area, texted his longtime customer and buddy Conrad: “Are you okay, brother?”
“And he obviously didn’t text back,” Mr McMahan told The Independent.
A GoFundMe created for Conrad’s family describes him as a man who was “devoted to his job, his game and his young daughter, Caroline.”
“He died a hero,” the campaign stated. “He put his life in harm’s way to charge the gunman and save the children who were there.”
Read the full story...
Friend shares heartbreaking final text to ‘hero’ Maine shooting victim
Sunday 29 October 2023 21:30 , Kelly Rissman
A second vigil will be held at 6pm on Sunday
Sunday’s vigil well be held from 6-8pm at the Franco Center in Lewiston to mourn the 18 lives lost in the mass shooting.
Last night, a candlelight vigil was held at Worumbo in Lisbon.
Sunday 29 October 2023 20:00 , Kelly Rissman
What we know about the suspect from social media posts
The suspect showed an interest in right-wing pundits and politics on X, formerly Twitter, before his account was deleted by the company.
He liked posts from Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr, Tucker Carlson and Jordan Peterson. He appeared to focus on content that expressed anti-trans views, as well as on gun rights, the coronavirus and the economy.
Liking a post does not necessarily signify that he agreed with the content, and there is no indication that it was a political attack.
The suspect’s account on X was captured by Heavy.com before it was deleted by the platform, as per its policy. The profile picture on that account appears to match photographs released by law enforcement.
In March, he liked a tweet from Trump Jnr that said:
“Given the incredible rise of trans/non-binary mass shooters in the last few years… by far the largest group committing as a percentage of population… maybe, rather than talking about guns we should be talking about lunatics pushing their gender affirming bulls*** on our kids?”
He also liked a video post in March from by Carlson, the former Fox News commentator, which was accompanied by the text: “The trans movement, it turns out, is the mirror image of Christianity, and therefore its natural enemy. People who believe they’re God can’t stand to be reminded that they’re not.”
Another theme that drew the suspect’s attention was the coronavirus. He liked several posts that expressed scepticism over vaccines and public health lockdowns.
The suspect followed only a few accounts on the platform, among them a pro-Donald Trump ‘MAGA’ page called Proud Patriots, X owner Musk, Mark Cuban, the business network CNBC and Joe Rogan, according to Heavy.com. He also interacted with a number of accounts of Republican politicians, such as former House speaker Kevin McCarthy and Jim Jordan.
The suspect liked at least two posts from President Joe Biden’s account, relating to his administration’s efforts to tackle inflation and taxes. He also liked several by Jim Cramer, the CNBC host.
Sunday 29 October 2023 19:30 , Kelly Rissman
ICYMI: How Robert Card was ultimately found after dayslong manhunt
Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck revealed that three of Card’s family members were among the first to call in on Wednesday, identifying the person in the suspect photos as Card.
A ‘vehicle of interest’ was also recovered on Wednesday night. The registration showed that the white Subaru station wagon belonged to the Bowdoin resident.
Days later, after police had already twice “cleared” the Maine Recycling Corporation, the owner reportedly called police. He allegedly told authorities that “this individual knows the property” and urged investigators to examine the trailers in the overflow lot, Mr Sauschuck said.
The 40-year-old was found in one of the 60 box trailers in the overflow lot. He is believed to have died by suicide.
Sunday 29 October 2023 19:00 , Kelly Rissman
The city of Lewiston mourns the 18 lives lost
On Friday, Alex McMahan returned with “a truckload of flowers” to expand the memorials.
“All of those locations have grown; people have been bringing flowers and poems and prayers and pictures and crosses,” he said Saturday.
Near Just-In-Time Recreation, mourners were also leaving Jack-o-lanterns – because Mr Conrad had been “planning on doing a pumpkin carving at the bowling alley for his nine-year-old daughter and for some of the kids in the community,” Mr McMahan said.
Sunday 29 October 2023 18:30 , Kelly Rissman
Faces of the victims
Sunday 29 October 2023 18:00 , Kelly Rissman
Heartbreaking final text to Maine shooting victim who died trying to take down shooter, revealed
Thomas “Tommy” Conrad had been planning on doing a pumpkin carving at the bowling alley for the kids in the Lewiston community before a gunman opened fire in a mass shooting that claimed the lives of 18 people.
Now, mourners are leaving Jack-o-lanterns outside Just-In-Time Recreation as a tribute for the 34-year-old manager, who was killed in the attack while trying to take down the shooter.
As news of the massacre broke, Alex McMahan, who co-owns a chain of dispensaries in the area, texted his longtime customer and buddy Conrad: “Are you okay, brother?”
“And he obviously didn’t text back,” Mr McMahan told The Independent.
Read the full story...
Friend shares heartbreaking final text to ‘hero’ Maine shooting victim
Sunday 29 October 2023 17:15 , Kelly Rissman
Gun safety group founder weighs in
Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, outlined the state’s lack of so-called ‘red flag laws’ and how that could have contributed to the tragedy.
Maine has some of the weakest gun laws in the Northeast, lacking even the most basic foundational measures. This year, the Maine GOP blocked a bill requiring background checks on all gun sales. Last session, they blocked a bill to require a 72-hour waiting period to buy a gun. pic.twitter.com/fuGc1Lvowv
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) October 29, 2023
Sunday 29 October 2023 17:00 , Kelly Rissman
Donations to victims can be made through the Maine Community Foundation
Dear friends of Maine,
As we awoke and began a late October Thursday, we found horrific news from Lewiston, where gun violence has struck disturbingly close to home. There are no words to express the grief, terror, and sadness that grip all of Maine today, not least our friends, colleagues, and neighbors in the Lewiston-Auburn area.
We grieve with the residents of Lewiston, and I want you to know that we are already hard at work to support recovery efforts for this wonderful community that will need our expertise, networks, and resources during the long road ahead. We will respond to this tragedy with direction from the affected community, including Maine Community Foundation’s Androscoggin County Committee and other community partners.
MaineCF has created the Lewiston-Auburn Area Response Fund to address current and emerging needs associated with this tragedy. With MaineCF as a conduit, 100% of every dollar donated will be allocated to people impacted and the organizations that will help guide Lewiston-Auburn through the process of healing.
Donations may be made to victims and survivors or to the broader recovery effort at the link above; checks may be sent to:
Lewiston-Auburn Area Response FundMaine Community Foundation245 Main StreetEllsworth, Maine 04605(207)-667-9735
Sunday 29 October 2023 15:45 , Kelly Rissman
A glimpse into the Lewiston life
Much of the gossip and social life for years has centred on pub sports – darts, pool and, importantly, cornhole, with residents avidly playing in leagues and following tournaments.
“When I first moved out to Maine, one thing that I was really surprised by was the fact that everybody up here is really good at pool and at darts and at cornhole – everybody’s pretty competitive, but they’re also really good,” Alex McMahan, who co-owns a chain of dispensaries and moved to the state from South Carolina, told The Independent.
“Places like Schemengees, where it’s got the pool, the darts and the cornhole, it is the quintessential place to be in a city like Lewiston … pretty much everybody frequented it.”
Reporting from Lewiston, The Independent’s Andrea Blanco and Sheila Flynn have the full story...
Lewiston locals untangle grief and relief in the wake of Maine’s first mass shooting
Sunday 29 October 2023 15:30 , Kelly Rissman
WATCH: Maine shooting suspect’s former boss told police where to look for him after two failed searches
