AT LEAST 16 people have been killed and dozens of others injured in shootings in the US city of Lewiston, Maine, law enforcement officials said.
Two officials told AP the shootings happened on Wednesday evening at a bar and bowling alley.
The officials were not authorised to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.
Investigators were still processing the crime scenes and working to gather evidence.
Police were searching for the man who opened fire at two locations in the Maine city.
The man identified as a person of interest in the mass killing is a firearms instructor trained by the military and was recently committed to a mental health facility, according to a state police bulletin.
The bulletin says the man, Robert Card, had been trained as a firearms instructor at a US Army Reserve training facility in Maine.
The document says Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023.
It did not provide specific details about his treatment or condition.
The document also said Card had reported hearing voices and had threatened to carry out a shooting at the military training base in Saco, Maine.
Lewiston Police confirmed in a Facebook post that Card was a person of interest in the shooting and said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Lewiston Police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley.
“Please stay off the roads to allow emergency responders access to the hospitals,” police said.
One bowler, who identified himself only as Brandon, said he heard about 10 shots, thinking the first was a balloon popping.
“I had my back turned to the door. And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon — he was holding a weapon — I just booked it,” he told The Associated Press.
Brandon said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery. He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a school in the neighbouring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.
“I was putting on my bowling shoes when when it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he said.
Melinda Small, the owner of Legends Sports Bar and Grill, said her staff immediately locked their doors and moved all 25 customers and employees away from the doors after a customer reported hearing about the shooting at the bowling alley less than a quarter-mile away.
Soon, the police flooded the road and a police officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building.
“I am honestly in a state of shock. I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” Ms Small said. “But the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.”
On its website, Central Maine Medical Centre said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.
The alert for Lewiston was made shortly after 8pm local time as the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office reported that law enforcement agencies were investigating “two active shooter events”.
The sheriff’s office said the suspect was still at large.
“We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate,” the sheriff’s office reported.
A spokesperson for Maine Department of Public Safety urged residents to stay in their homes with their doors locked.
“Law enforcement is currently investigating at two locations right now,” Shannon Moss said.
“Again please stay off the streets and allow law enforcement to diffuse the situation.”
An order for residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets of the city of 37,000 was extended on Wednesday night from Lewiston to Lisbon, about eight miles (13km) away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed a gunman walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.
Governor Janet Mills released a statement echoing those instructions. She said she has been briefed on the situation and will remain in close contact with public safety officials.
President Joe Biden had spoken by phone to Ms Mills and the state’s Congress members, offering “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack”, a White House statement said.
Local schools were closed on Thursday and people should shelter in place or seek safety, Superintendent Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones. Embrace them.”
In 2022 the state had 29 homicides for the entire year.
