Suspect in Maine mass shootings found dead, authorities say: Live updates
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
LEWISTON, Maine – A man suspected of fatally shooting 18 people and wounding 13 others in Maine has been found dead, authorities said Friday night.
Robert Card, wanted for the shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said at a news briefing late Friday.
Card's body was found at 7:45 p.m. near the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls, Sauschuck said. Officials declined to provide an estimated time of death.
“Now is a time to heal,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills said at the briefing Friday night. “And with this search concluded, I know that law enforcement continues to fully investigate all the facts so we can bring what closure we can to the victims and their families.”
Authorities have been searching for Card, 40, of Bowdoin, Maine, since the shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday night and had issued murder warrants against him.
Law enforcement found a note Thursday night during searches of a home connected to the suspect in the shootings. During a news conference on Friday, Sauschuck confirmed a note was discovered, but said, "I'm not permitted to really talk about what that included." He said investigators are looking into whether the note ties in with a potential "mindset" or "motive."
The shelter-in-place order was lifted Friday afternoon, Sauschuck announced at a news briefing. He still urged residents to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity. Hunting restrictions announced earlier Friday were lifted following the discovery of Card's body.
Multiple school districts canceled classes as the search for Card continued. Authorities announced Friday that they were focusing search efforts on the Androscoggin River where a vehicle belonging to Card was found at a boat ramp 8 miles from Lewiston.
Authorities warned residents as far as 50 miles from the Just-In-Time bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille to stay inside and lock their doors. The dragnet has brought hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement agents to largely rural areas of southern Maine in search of the Army reservist.
Authorities release names of 18 people killed in shooting
At the briefing Friday, authorities held a moment of silence after announcing names of the 18 people who were killed in the shooting. Sauschuck said families had been notified.
They are:
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40 years old
Ronald G. Morin, 55
Joshua A. Seal, 36
Bryan M. MacFarlane, 41
Joseph Lawrence Walker, 57
Arthur Fred Strout, 42
Maxx A. Hathaway, 35
Stephen M. Vozzella, 45
Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34
Michael R. Deslauriers II, 51
Jason Adam Walker, 51
Tricia C. Asselin, 53
William A. Young, 44
Aaron Young, 14
Robert E. Violette, 76
Lucille Violette, 73
William Frank Brackett, 48
Keith D. Macneir, 64
'It doesn't make any sense'
Rosa Storer, 48, wept as she spoke about three people she knows who were killed in the shootings. Storer grew up in Lewiston and is one of the many residents under lockdown and rattled by the massacres.“I just don’t understand how they just let him go five miles down the road and let him just do it again," she told USA TODAY of the suspected shooter. "I know you don’t expect that to be happening but … I don’t get it, I don’t understand. It’s senseless; it doesn’t make any sense.”Storer, who was walking her dog, Gizmo, she she's frightened Card is still out there. "I’m beside myself that this has happened to so many people," she said, adding: "I’m little bit paranoid, not going to lie."
— Camille Fine
What happened in the Maine shootings?
Police said they first received a call reporting a shooting at the Just-In-Time bowling alley at 6:56 p.m. Wednesday. Then at approximately 7:08 p.m., several people reported an active shooter at Schemengees Bar and Grille, about four miles from the bowling alley.
Maine State Police Col. William Ross said at a Thursday news conference said seven people at the bowling alley were killed, including one female and six males. At the bar, eight people, all males, were shot and killed at the scene. Over a dozen people were rushed to nearby hospitals, where three later died.
Officials at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston said eight people injured in the shootings remained at their facility Thursday afternoon, three in critical condition and five stable. The chief medical officer, Dr. John Alexander, said the hospital staff was trained to provide this level of care even though it's rarely necessary.
“It’s unprecedented in terms of the severity of the injuries and the tragedy to the community,” he said.
As of Friday, eight fatal victims have been identified by police. Authorities have not public released the names of any victims, though some families have confirmed their loved one's deaths.
Police search farmhouse owned by Card's family
On Thursday night, police carried out multiple search warrants near Bowdoin, about 30 minutes from the shooting scenes, where investigators twice formed around a rural farmhouse connected to a relative of Card. Law enforcement at one point called for a person or people to surrender and asked media crews to turn off their lights.
"The announcements being heard over a loud speaker are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved. It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search," said the Maine State Police in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "Law enforcement officials are simply doing their due diligence by tracking down every lead in an effort to locate and apprehend Card."
The rural community includes a long road surrounded by farmland, homes and barns. Some homes are visible from the street while others have lots of tree cover. Signs asking vehicles to slow down for children are visible, including one warning of a cow-crossing.
Richard Goddard, who lives on the road where the searches were taking place, told the Associated Press that he knows the Card family and that Robert knows the terrain well. “This is is his stomping ground. He grew up here. He knows every ledge to hide behind, every thicket,” he said.
Deaf community mourns Maine tragedy
The Wednesday night massacre that left 18 people dead has shaken the Deaf community after a shooter gunned down a bar as a group of deaf people gathered for a cornhole tournament – some of whom were killed in the gunfire. Cornhole or Corn Toss is a game similar to horseshoes in which players toss corn bags at a wooden box, hoping to score points based on the quality of their throw.
The National Association of the Deaf released a statement following the tragedy that lists resources for the Deaf community, including crisis intervention and therapy.
According to the association, Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing often experience the most difficulty in preparing for and recovering from emergencies and disasters.
“The NAD, along with the Maine Association of the Deaf (MeAD), commit our support for any needs of the Maine Deaf Community, and express our condolences for the families, friends, and communities in Maine,” the civil rights organization said. “We value and advocate for communication access for the Maine Deaf Community and the NAD stands by to support the MeAD as the communities recover from this tragedy.”
The Maine Department of Labor Division for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing and Late Deafened has a list of counseling resources for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
“Maine is a tight-knit state, and its Deaf community is especially bound by deep relationships, a vibrant culture, and a long history of resiliency. These strengths are ever so important during this difficult time of grief and uncertainty,” a spokesperson for the state's labor department told USA TODAY.
Multiple schools districts close, cancel classes for Friday
Public schools across Lewiston, Lisbon, Auburn and Portland were closed Friday as were municipal offices in Lewiston. The class cancellations also extended to Bates College, a private liberal arts school in Lewiston.
"The tragic event(s) from Lewiston last night have shaken me to my core. Never, in my lifetime did I believe this could ever happen in Maine. However, sadly here we are," said Connie Brown, superintendent of the Auburn School Department. "Our staff will use this time to prepare for conversations with our students and how we can best support them during this difficult time.... Please draw your loved ones close to you and hold them tightly."
Families remember Maine shooting victims
A bar manager whose father said confronted the gunman and a retiree who devoted himself to coaching youth bowling were among the victims killed during the deadly shootings.
Joe Walker was the bar manager at Schemengees Bar and Grille. His father, Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker, told NBC News on Thursday his son was shot twice in the stomach as he went after the gunman with a butcher knife. “He died as a hero,” his father said.
Bob Violette, 76, devoted himself to his volunteer job coaching the youth bowling league that was practicing Wednesday night at Just-In-Time Recreation, said Patrick Poulin, whose teenage son has been a member of the league for three years. Violette’s daughter confirmed his death to WBZ-TV. Poulin described Violette as unfailingly approachable and caring.
"Sometimes kids are having a hard time for whatever reason, discouraged or something," he said. "He was great at picking them up and getting them to move along from that issue and get things going in the right direction."
Bill Young and his 14-year-old son, Aaron Young, were fatally shot at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, Bill’s brother, Rob Young, told Reuters. They had been out for an evening with their bowling league, he said.
The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, an industrial trade union, said in a statement Thursday that Peyton Brewer-Ross was a victim in the shooting. Brewer-Ross, 40, was a local education committee member who graduated from a rigorous apprenticeship in 2022, according to the Machinists Union.
— Minnah Arshad and Vanessa Arredondo
Maine congressman flips stance on assault weapons
Rep. Jared Golden, of Maine, reversed his long-held stance opposing an assault weapon bans and called on Congress to outlaw “the deadly weapons of war,” he said at a news conference.
Golden, a Marine Corps veteran from Lewiston, said Thursday he made his decision to rectify “a false confidence that our community was above this and that we could be in full control among many other misjudgments.”
“The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles, like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown of Lewiston,” he said.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden released a statement calling for bans of assault weapons and high capacity magazines. “Far too many Americans have now had a family member killed or injured as a result of gun violence,” he said. “That is not normal, and we cannot accept it.”
Who was Robert Card?
Card, at the time of the shootings, was a sergeant first class in the Army Reserve, according to the Army. He enlisted in December 2002 and had no combat deployments. His military specialty is petroleum supply, and he has received several awards, including a Humanitarian Service Medal.
The Army said in a statement that Card's unit assisted in the summer training program provided at its academy in West Point, New York, in July, but "there are no records to indicate he instructed or participated in any training. The Army did not train (Sergeant First Class) Card as a firearms instructor, nor did he serve in that capacity for the Army.''
A state police bulletin circulated Wednesday said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this summer after “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.
In mid-July, Card was taken by police for an evaluation after military officials became concerned that he was acting erratically, The Associated Press reported, citing a U.S. official.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Vanessa Arredondo, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maine shooting live updates: Authorities say suspect found dead
