Lewiston shootings: What we know about Robert Card, person of interest in mass shootings
ByDebbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
At least 15 dead in multiple shootings in US state of Maine A man with a gun walks on the street after shoot civil in Maine, United States on October 26, 2023. At least 18 people were killed in shootings at multiple locations in the US state of Maine late Wednesday, according to a report. Maine State Police had issued a warning about an 'active shooter' incident in the city of Lewiston. (Photo by Maine state police/ Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images/Anadolu via Getty Images)
ByDebbie Lord, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Law enforcement officials said late Wednesday that they are looking for Robert Card, 40, in connection to the shootings that took at least 18 lives and injured 13 people. According to authorities, some of those injuries were reportedly from a stampede, NBC reported.
Hundreds of US police officers are searching for a gunman after deadly shootings in Lewiston, Maine
This is what is known about suspect Robert Card so far ⬇️
A shelter-in-place order was issued late Wednesday for Lewiston and the neighboring towns of Auburn and Lisbon, Maine, as authorities continue to search for Card. Schools in the towns will be closed on Thursday, as will all municipal buildings and state offices.
Here’s what we know now about Card:
Card “should be considered armed and dangerous,” the Lewiston Police Department said on Facebook. “Please contact law enforcement if you are aware of his whereabouts. If people see him, they should not approach Card or make contact with him in any way,” Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck told reporters at a news conference, the Sun Journal reported.
Card studied engineering at the University of Maine from 2001 to 2004.
Card was first described as a trained firearms instructor according to the Maine Information and Analysis Center (MIAC), a database for law enforcement officials. However, on Thursday morning the agency updated its information saying there is no information that suggests he has had any special weapons training or was an instructor.
He is a sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve serving as a petroleum supply specialist. He enlisted in 2002 and has no deployments on record.
According to MIAC, Card “recently reported mental health issues, saying he heard voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME.”
He was reported to have been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this summer.
The Associated Press reported that Card, who lives in Bowdoin, has a history of arrests for domestic violence and other crimes.
A white SUV linked to Card has been abandoned at a boat launch on the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls.
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Lewiston shootings Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings A sign advises residents to stay home, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, following a mass shooting at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. Police continue to search for the suspect. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings This photo released by the Lewiston Maine Police Department shows Robert Card, who police have identified as a person of interest in connection to mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. ( Lewiston Maine Police Department via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Maine State Police ordered residents in the state's second-largest city to shelter in place Wednesday night as the suspect remains at large. (Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Maine State Police ordered residents in the state's second-largest city to shelter in place Wednesday night as the suspect remains at large. (Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. Maine State Police ordered residents in the state's second-largest city to shelter in place Wednesday night as the suspect remains at large. (Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings This photo released by the Lewiston, Maine, Police Department on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, shows a vehicle police are seeking information on in connection to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine. (Lewiston Maine Police Department via AP) (AP)
Lewiston shootings A law enforcement officer carries a rifle outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings Law enforcement officers carry rifles outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings People depart an emergency department entrance at Central Maine Medical Center, past a member of security, behind right, during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings People stand outside a reunification center early Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at Auburn Middle School in Auburn, Maine, after shootings Wednesday at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings People depart a reunification center early Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings A woman is hugged by a man at a reunification center at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP) (Derek Davis/AP)
Lewiston shootings Law enforcement gather outside Schemengee's Bar and Grille, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Residents have been ordered to shelter in place as police continue to search for the suspect of Wednesday's mass shooting at the bar. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings Law enforcement officers carry rifles outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings A member of security, center right, stands at an emergency department entrance at Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Steven Senne) (Steven Senne/AP)
Lewiston shootings A sign signals the public to shelter in place during an active shooter situation on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald via AP) (Derek Davis/AP)
Lewiston shootings A police officer walks along a rural road during a manhunt for the suspect of Wednesday's mass shootings, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lisbon, Maine. The shootings took place at a restaurant and bowling alley in nearby Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: A police officer blocks access to the road to Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: A police officer blocks access to the road to Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: The side of Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: Law enforcement officials investigate outside the Schemengees Bar and Grille on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: A police officer blocks access to the road to Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings Three vehicles transport the victims killed at Schemengees Bar and Grille, on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The restaurant was the site of one of the two mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: Maine Governor Janet Mills speaks during a press conference about the mass shooting on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the shooting, Robert Card, who allegedly killed 18 people in two separate locations. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: Jodie Cohen, Special Agent in charge of the FBI's Boston branch, gives an update during a press conference about the mass shooting on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the shooting, Robert Card, who allegedly killed 18 people in two separate locations on Wednesday night. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
