Homes and businesses in Lewiston and surrounding counties in Maine have closed their doors and the streets are almost devoid of people. It is an eerie and surreal scene as the hunt for the suspected gunman who killed 18 people continues with no sign of his current whereabouts – or even if he is dead or alive.
A sense of dread pervades the area and comes as various shelter-in-place orders remain in effect. Law enforcement patrol in armored vehicles; helicopters and drones buzz in the sky. The coast guard has searched the Kennebec River. And all in pursuit of 40-year-old Robert Card, named on Thursday as the murder suspect in eight of the killings with a further 10 charges sure to follow.