Man with same name as Maine shooting suspect misidentified in viral post | Fact check

BrieAnna J. Frank, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Image shows suspect in Maine shooting, previously arrested for child pornography

An Oct. 26 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) includes a photo of a man it claims is the suspect in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, that left 18 people dead.

“Lewiston Maine Mass Shooting Suspect Robert Card Has Been Previously Arrested For Child Pornography & Is A Registered Sex Offender Who CAN NOT LEGALLY POSSESS A FIREARM!” reads part of the post.

The post garnered nearly 30 shares and more than 350 comments in less than a day. Other versions of the claim were shared thousands of additional times on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks

Our rating: False

The photo shows Robert W. Card, a man arrested in Maine in 2016 on suspicion of possessing child pornography. He is not a suspect in the Lewiston shooting. There is no evidence the suspected shooter is a sex offender.

Men share same state, but have different ages and criminal backgrounds

Law enforcement in Maine is currently searching for a man named Robert Card, who was named a suspect in a mass shooting perpetrated in Lewiston on Oct. 25.

But the man shown in the Facebook post is not the suspect.

The photo matches one included in local news reports from 2016 about the arrest of a different Maine man named Robert Card on suspicion of possessing child pornography.

Public records show that man, Robert W. Card, was born in April 1984, making him one year younger than the man the Lewiston Police Department described as the suspect in the mass shooting on Oct. 25.

The photo of the suspect the police department shared does not resemble the photo shared in the Facebook post. The department did not reference any previous charges against the elder Card as the manhunt for him continued on Oct. 26.

Fact check: Viral post misidentifies Michigan State University shooting suspect

Several news outlets reported that the mass shooting suspect's only criminal history is a misdemeanor operating under the influence charge from 2007.

USA TODAY previously debunked a claim that the suspect was arrested within hours of the shooting on Oct. 25.

USA TODAY reached out to the Lewiston Police Department and users who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

The Associated Press also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Post shows Robert Card charged in 2016, not Maine suspect | Fact check