Summary
That’s the end of our live coverage of the manhunt for Robert Card, the primary suspect behind the mass shooting that took place in Lewiston, Maine on Wednesday.
Here’s what happened today:
Law enforcement officials entered into the second day of the manhunt for Card, a 40-year-old Army reservist suspected of killing 18 people and wounding 13 more at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston.
Mike Sauschuck, commissioner of Maine’s public safety department, announced law enforcement would “putting divers in the water along the Androscoggin River” to look for evidence and potential bodies.
A note left by Card makes it seem he didn’t expect to be found alive by law enforcement, CNN reports.
Joe Biden was updated this afternoon by his senior staff on the latest information about the shootings in Lewiston, the White House said.
All 18 victims of the shooting were identified by local authorities.
The shelter in place order was rescinded. Though hunting in four towns were still restricted.
Here is the full list of the ages and names of the victims of the mass shooting that took place on Wednesday, according to the Maine department of public safety.
Ronald G. Morin, 55
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40
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. Deslauries II, 51
Jason Adam Walker, 51
Tricia C. Asselin, 53
William A. Young 44,
Aaron Young, 14
Robert E. Violette, 76
Lucille M. Violette, 73
William Frank Brackett, 48
Keith D. Macneir, 64
Updated
Some residents received an alert notifying them the shelter in place order has been lifted as the manhunt continues.
The shelter in place order has officially been rescinded in Maine. Even still, the sun is going down into a third night with the mass shooting suspect nowhere to be found. #Lewiston pic.twitter.com/xQmjcDfzlL
— Omar Jimenez (@OmarJimenez) October 27, 2023
The search in the river continues, Maine officials said. They also expect to have additional out of state resources added to their search tomorrow.
Officials said the general shelter in place order has been rescinded but hunting is still prohibited in four towns including in Lewiston.
Updated
The press conference has just started.
An official says he wanted to bring the media back in to share the names of the victims. He said families did not want home towns listed. He shared photos that families of the victims shared and the full list of names of the victims.
Maine law enforcement officials are expected to hold another press conference with updates on the ongoing manhunt for Robert Card. The news conference, which will be held at Lewiston City Hall, will be streamed live here.
All 18 victims of the mass shooting have been identified according to AP. The state’s medical examiner told AP the ages of the deceased ranged from 14 to 76. The medical examiner did not release all of their names. 15 of 18 of the victims were previously identified.
Here is a list of the victims confirmed so far:
Bob Violette
Tricia Asselin
Bill Brackett
Steven Vozzella
Joseph Walker
Bryan MacFarlane
Tommy Conrad
Joshua Seal
Arthur Strout
Michael Deslauriers II
Peyton Brewer-Ross
Maxx Hathaway
Bill Young and his 14-year-old son, Aaron
Ron Morin
Updated
Here are some images of messages of support and shuttered businesses across Maine amid an expanded shelter in place after 18 people were killed in Wednesday night’s shootings:
Updated
Joel Stetkis, Maine’s GOP chairman, has issued a statement following the shootings, accusing politicians of capitalizing on the tragedy by “pushing for radical changes to Maine laws”.
Following is a statement from Maine GOP chairman Joel Stetkis:
It has been our intention to remain quiet in the aftermath of the horrific shooting in Lewiston to allow public safety officials and leaders to communicate to the public with as little message pollution as possible …
With that said, it is clear that many politicians are seeking to capitalize on this tragedy by pushing for radical changes to Maine laws.
Let me be clear: if someone tries to force a ‘solution’ on you before you have even been able to determine the root of the problem, they are supporting their agenda, not your agenda. The crop of politicians pushing for gun bans in Maine right now, such as Jared Golden, have barely mentioned our failed mental health system and policies!
In Maine, no permit, background check or firearms registration is required to purchase a handgun from a private individual, according to the US Concealed Carry Association.
Additionally, open and concealed carry are legal in Maine without a permit, USCCA reports.
Maine also has no laws restricting assault weapons, according to the Giffords Law Center which tracks gun laws across the country.
The state also has no law imposing a waiting period before purchasing a firearm. In June, the state senate rejected a 72-hour waiting period for gun purchases.
Updated
Biden briefed on Maine manhunt latest
Joe Biden was updated this afternoon by his senior staff on the latest information about the shootings in Lewiston, the White House said.
Biden also spoke with FBI director Christopher Wray, who described the more than 200 FBI personnel who are in Maine to support the investigation – including the ongoing manhunt – and provide assistance to the victims, it added.
Updated
Here are some images coming through the newswires of the rest of Maine as the manhunt for the suspected gunman remains underway:
Updated
Here is video of police dive teams searching the river in Lisbon, Maine:
Police dive teams have started searching the river here in Lisbon, Maine.
— Will Tullis (@WiTullis) October 27, 2023
This is the boat ramp where shooting suspect Robert Card's car was found abandoned.
Card is known to have three boats, raising the possibility he could have escaped on water. @itvnews pic.twitter.com/LhXaWLJlw3
In a press conference earlier today, authorities said that they were going to deploy underwater robots as well as sonar technology in search of the suspect and any related evidence.
Robert Card recently started to wear hearing aids to combat hearing loss, the Daily Beast reports Robert Card’s sister-in-law, Katie Card, saying.
The outlet reports:
Since then, Card said her brother-in-law has been insisting to his family that he can hear people bashing him—including at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grill, where he’s accused of gunning down 18 people on Wednesday night.
“He truly believed he was hearing people say things,” she added. “This all just happened within the last few months.”
Several of the victims who were killed in Wednesday’s shooting were members of the deaf community that gathered at Schemengees Bar and Grill to play cornhole.
Here are some images coming through the newswires of the ongoing manhunt for the suspected gunman:
Updated
The White House has criticized new elected House speaker Mike Johnson who said that shootings happen because of the “human heart … not guns.”
“We absolutely reject the offensive accusation that gun crime is uniquely high in the United States because of Americans’ hearts, White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said, The Hill reports.
“Gun crime is uniquely high in the United States because congressional Republicans have spent decades choosing the gun industry’s lobbyists over the lives of innocent Americans,” said Bates, adding, “Gun violence is now the main reason that American children’s hearts stop beating. Not cancer, not car accidents – gun violence.”
In an earlier interview with Fox News, Johnson, a far-right Republican from Louisiana, said, “At the end of the day, the problem is the human heart. It’s not guns. It’s not the weapons.”
He added that now is “not the time” to talk about gun control.
“At the end of the day, we have to protect the right of the citizens to protect themselves, and that’s the Second Amendment … This is not the time to be talking about legislation. We’re in the middle of that crisis right now,” Johnson said.
Updated
Note left by suspect makes it seem he didn't expect to be found alive - report
The note that suspected gunman Robert Card left behind made it seem that he didn’t expect to be found alive by law enforcement, CNN reports.
Authorities confirmed in a Friday news conference that they found a note from Card, but did not elaborate on what the note said.
But an unnamed law enforcement told CNN that Card left behind what appears to be a suicide note, in some capacity.
From CNN:
The note, described by the official, essentially gave information and instruction to others about where things could be found and disposed of — ultimately suggesting when it was found or read that Card would no longer be alive.
Authorities are following a natural progression of leads, including considering what next steps Card may have taken, and have begun preparations to search the water, particularly near the boat launch where Card’s vehicle was found.
Read more here.
Updated
15 of 18 victims identified
The 18 victims of Wednesday’s shootings continue to be identified, as police work to contact their families.
Here is a list of the victims confirmed so far:
Bob Violette
Tricia Asselin
Bill Brackett
Steven Vozzella
Joseph Walker
Bryan MacFarlane
Tommy Conrad,
Joshua Seal
Arthur Strout
Michael Deslauriers II
Peyton Brewer-Ross
Maxx Hathaway
Bill Young and his 14-year-old son, Aaron
Ron Morin
Read more on them here.
Updated
Here is a map of the area police will be searching for suspected gunman Robert Card.
Police will be searching the Androscoggin river and the surrounding shore after a white SUV possibly used by Card was found at a boat launch on the river.
Police have cleared a lettuce farm in Maine after reports of a gunshot, CNN reported.
The lettuce farm is located in Lisbon, less than a mile from where the white SUV Card allegedly used was found.
Several workers on the farm took cover and called the authorities after hearing what sounded like a gunshot, though authorities have not confirmed what the sound was.
Police later cleared the farm, as police helicopters clew overhead.
The neighbor of suspected shooter Robert Card said that he questioned why Card didn’t receive better mental health treatment.
Richard Goddard, 44, told Reuters that he last saw Card two weeks ago, when Card was helping his father with yard work.
Goddard described Card’s family as “perfectly normal”.
“I mean, there was nothing out of the norm. Hard working, farming family,” Goddard said to Reuters.
Goddard said he had heard Card was receiving treatment for mental health concerns at Togus VA Medical Center, a medical center for veterans.
“I don’t get why that wasn’t taken care of,” Goddard said about Card’s alleged mental health problems.
“I don’t get why he didn’t get better treatment or more treatment … it’s like, why wasn’t that taken serious?” Goddard said.
Updated
7 remain hospitalized from mass shootings
Seven people injured in Wednesday’s shootings remain hospitalized at Central Maine Healthcare hospital, CNN reported.
One person was discharged from the hospital on Thursday, Lisa Gardner, communication manager at Central Maine Healthcare, told CNN.
Of the seven people hospitalized, three remain in stable condition; three are in the Intensive Care Unit; and one person will be discharged today.
Updated
Search continues in river due to nearby evidence
Law enforcement added that authorities will be searching the river due to evidence found nearby.
The Maine state police dive team will be searching the Androscoggin river, which cuts through Lewiston and south of the city of Lisbon, both located in southern Maine.
Air resources will fly over the river in order for police to better direct where divers should search, Sauschuck added.
Following Wednesday’s shootings, Card’s trail led to Lisbon. There, state police discovered a white SUV that they believe Card used to escape, parked at a boat launch on the river.
Card has three watercraft registrations: two Sea-Doos and a Bayliner, according to public records.
When asked why authorities are searching the river, Sauschuck said that Card’s car and other evidence were found near the river’s shores.
“The car was located there. Evidence was located in the vehicle right along the shores of Androscoggin River. So that’s stuff we want to make sure we’re checking,” Sauschuck said, NBC reported.
Updated
Mike Sauschuck, Maine’s public safety commissioner, confirmed that a majority of the victims’ families have not been notified.
Sauschuck said that families of 10 of the 18 people who were killed in Wednesday’s shootings have still not been updated.
“We are working with families that have currently been notified. We are continuing to identify victims in this case,” Sauschuck said during Friday’s press conference, CNN reported.
Updated
Thousands intructed to remain sheltering in place as manhunt for suspect goes on
Law enforcement officials have instructed Maine residents to continue sheltering in place as the manhunt for the Lewiston shooting suspect, 40-year-old Robert Card, stretches across the region.
In a press briefing on Friday morning, Mike Sauschuck, commissioner of Maine’s public safety department, said that authorities are “continuing to do searches” at the Just-In-Time bowling alley and the Schemengees Bar and Grille where the shootings took place on Wednesday night. Eighteen people were killed while 13 more were injured.
“I would expect we’re still days away from completing those particular investigations, those particular crime scenes,” he said.
Sauschuck also confirmed the presence of a note that was left behind at a residence tied to the suspect but did not provide further details.
With hundreds of law enforcement officials roaming across the state following this year’s deadliest mass shooting, authorities have announced that they will also be “putting divers in the water along the Androscoggin River”.
They have also asked the public to upload tips and information to FBI.GOV/LewistonTips, a digital tipline.
Updated
Maine public safety commissioner: 'Every minute that this goes on, we're more and more concerned'
“Every minute that this goes on, we’re more and more concerned because what’s the next thing that’s going to happen?” said Sauschuck.
“We understand that and that’s why we’re working 24/7 to bring this individual to justice and to try to bring some closure and overall safety to our communities,” he added.
Updated
Authorities confirm presence of note left at a residence tied to suspect
Sauschuck has confirmed the presence of a note left at one of the residences tied to the suspect but refused to elaborate.
“There was a note at one of these residences. I’m not prepared to really talk about what that included …because that does involve, ‘Is there a mindset here, a motive? What did that entail?’ …
When we can release it, we certainly will,” he said.
Updated
Law enforcement have set up a digital tipline at FBI.GOV/LewistonTips.
“If you’ve got a photo, if you got a video of what happened or you know something that you think is evidentiary in nature … you can upload that information through that link,” said Sauschuck.
Updated
Law enforcement will put divers in the 'water along the Androscoggin River'
Sauschuck said that law enforcement is going to be “putting divers in the water along the Androscoggin River”.
He added that the divers will be checking for evidence and for “potential bodies”.
“You’re going to see a lot of activity here … Then we’re going to have some sonar … so picking up shadows …anything can be under there,” he said.
Updated
“We’re continuing to do searches at the two primary venues here,” said Sauschuck, referring to the Just-In-Time bowling alley and the Schemengees Bar and Grille where the shootings took place.
“We’re going to be processing every square inch of these facilities,” he said.
“I would expect we’re still days away from completing those particular investigations, those particular crime scenes,” he added.
Mike Sauschuck, commissioner of Maine’s public safety department, is now speaking.
He said that moving forward, there will be a news briefing “every day at 10 o’clock” and that authorities are considering afternoon briefings as well.
“These briefings … will be more operational,” he said, adding, “Our communities, our loved ones are always going to be at the forefront of our mind and certainly in our hearts.”
Updated
David St Pierre, Lewiston police chief, is now speaking at the press conference.
“The safety of our community remains paramount,” he said.
“I will ask the community to be as patient as possible with this process, realizing that there are many, many moving parts in coordination of efforts … between multiple agencies,” he added.
Updated
Maine officials are scheduled to hold a press conference shortly on the ongoing manhunt.
We will bring you the latest updates.
Joshua Seal, an interpreter who was participating in a game of cornhole for members of the deaf community in Lewiston, was one of the victims killed at Schemengees Bar and Grille.
Pine Tree Society, where Seal worked as the director of interpreting services, mourned his loss on Facebook.
“The tragic events in Lewiston last evening hit close to home at Pine Tree Society. It is with great sorrow we share that Joshua Seal was killed in the shooting. Joshua was our Director of Interpreting Services.
He was a husband, a father of four and a tireless advocate for the Deaf community. He was committed to creating safe space for Deaf people and was widely known as the ASL interpreter for Dr. [Nirav] Shah’s pandemic briefings.
The ripple effects of his loss will be felt by countless Maine people. Pine Tree Society offices will remain closed Friday, October 27 as we mourn and honor our friend and colleague, Josh,” the organization said.
Michael Deslauriers Sr is mourning the loss of his son Michael Deslauriers II and his friend Jason Walker who were both killed at the Just-In-Time bowling alley on Wednesday night.
“I have the hardest news for a father to ever have to share. My son Michael Deslauriers II and his dearest friend Jason Walker were murdered last night at the bowling alley.
They made sure their wives and several young children were under cover then they charged the shooter,” Deslauriers Sr wrote on Facebook.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has applauded Maine’s Democratic representative Jared Golden for promising to work with congressional leaders to ban assault weapons.
“Powerful, brave, and moving. This is leadership. Thank you, @RepGolden,” the New York representative tweeted in response to Golden apologizing for his previous efforts of voting against assault weapons bans.
“Our community stands with yours throughout this tragedy and in the work ahead,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
Powerful, brave, and moving. This is leadership. Thank you, @RepGolden.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) October 26, 2023
Our community stands with yours throughout this tragedy and in the work ahead. https://t.co/ApmCFQ2wVT
Maine’s Democratic representative Jared Golden said that he takes “responsibility for this failure” in the wake of the Lewiston shootings after opposing efforts to ban assault weapons.
Addressing reporters, Golden, who represents Maine’s second district, said:
“I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle he used to carry out this crime. The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by this sick perpetrator of this mass killing …
For the good of my community, I will work with any colleague to get this done in the time that I have left in Congress.”
He went to ask for forgiveness and support from the “people of Lewiston, my constituents throughout the second district … the families who have lost loved ones and … those who have been harmed”.
Golden: I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle he used to carry out this crime. The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure. Which is why I now call on the United States congress to ban assault rifles pic.twitter.com/0k60XJQoaB
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 26, 2023
Updated
Fear grips Maine as suspect continues to elude authorities
Good morning,
Fear grips Maine as the suspect involved in Wednesday night’s shootings continues to elude authorities.
Law enforcement officials have entered the second day into the widespread manhunt for Robert Card, a 40-year-old Army reservist suspected of killing 18 people and wounding 13 more at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston.
Following the shootings, Card’s trail led to Lisbon where state police discovered a white SUV that they believe Card used to escape and parked at a boat launch on the river. According to public records, Card has three watercraft registrations: two Sea-Doos and a Bayliner.
Relatives have started to identify victims. They include a 76-year-old retired Sears mechanic and avid bowler, a 56-year-old manager at the bar, and a few people who was part of a local deaf community that gathered at the bar on Wednesdays.
With Maine’s lax gun laws and residents instructed to continue sheltering in place as authorities search for the suspect, the Lewiston shootings mark the deadliest mass shooting this year.
We will bring you the latest updates as the story develops.
Updated
