In the US state of Maine, which is in the northeast, a gunman is said to have gone on a rampage, leaving at least 22 people dead and up to 60 injured.
According to police, the carnage in Lewiston, Maine, began around 7 p.m. (00:00 GMT) on October 25, 2023 with the first of at least three shooting attacks. Police initially received reports of a shooter at a bowling alley where a children’s event was being held.
A few minutes later, another shooting occurred at a nearby pub and grill. A third shooting was reported shortly after 8 p.m. (01:00 GMT) at a Walmart distribution center. At around 9 p.m. (02:00 GMT), sirens wailed throughout the town in response to reports of a possible fourth shooting.
McCarthy stated, “From what I understand, they have a tentative identification… of the shooter at the bowling alley, confirmed 22 dead, many, many more injured.”
The Lewiston Police Department issued a warning to residents to stay indoors and lock doors. About 39,000 people live in Lewiston, and the police went on to release a photo of a person of interest, named Robert Card, on its Facebook page.
Police wrote that CARD “should be considered armed and dangerous” and asked people to avoid approaching or contacting him.
“We have literally hundreds of police officers working around the state of Maine to investigate this case and locate Card, who is a person of interest,” Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said at a press conference.
A state police bulletin revealed that 40-year-old Card, trained as a firearms instructor at a US Army reserve training centre in Maine, had a history of mental health issues, including hearing voices, and spent two weeks in a mental health facility during the summer.
Police have released two photos of a bearded man with an assault rifle and an abandoned white SUV, along with a photo of an open SUV.
Police earlier shared two photos of a bearded man in a long-sleeved brown shirt and dark combat trousers with an assault rifle raised to his shoulder and a photo of an abandoned white SUV with its doors open, requesting public information.
Maine State Police further noted on their social media platform X “There is an active shooter in Lewiston; we are asking people to take cover. Please remain inside your home with the doors locked. Law enforcement is currently conducting investigations in several locations.”
