Maine shootings: at least 16 reported dead in Lewiston as police hunt gunman – latest updates

St. Mary’s Health System, a medical centre in Maine, has said in an updated on Facebook that it has activated its emergency response plans and called in all available staff.

The centre says it is “collaborating closely with local partners to ensure a unified effort in treating those impacted by the events that have taken place tonight.”

We will continue to prioritize the safety and care of our patients, and we are working diligently to ensure the hospital environment remains secure. All elective procedures and surgeries scheduled for tomorrow morning have been cancelled, and practices will be closed. We will be reaching out to those with appointments to reschedule.”

Maine state police have just issued an update confirming that the car of person of interest, Robert Card, has been located in the town of Lisbon, just outside Lewiston, and the shelter in place order has been extended to people living in the area.

The shelter in place order stands in Lewiston and a reunification centre has been set up at Auburn Middle School which is located at 38 Falcon Drive in Auburn.

The shooting in Lewiston is the United State’s 36th mass killing this year, according to a database maintained by the Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

At least 188 people have died in those killings, which are defined as incidents in which four or more people have died within a 24-hour period, not including the killer – the same definition used by the FBI.

So far this year, the US has witnessed the second-highest number of mass killings and deaths on record. Only 2019 had more mass killings by this point in the year.

Research group Everytown for Gun Safety ranks Maine’s gun safety laws as being “weak”.

“Maine has very few foundational gun safety laws,” according to their research.

Everytown says that Maine lacks most basic laws “including background checks for all gun sales, an Extreme Risk law, and waiting periods.”

Maine is also a permitless carry state meaning no permit is needed to carry a concealed firearm.

Officials in Lewiston have just given a press conference confirming “multiple casualties” after the two shootings.

Maine’s public safety commissioner, Mike Sauschuck, told reporters that hundreds of police officers were searching for Robert Card, who was described as a “person of interest”.

When asked about the number of victims, Sauschuck said it was a “fluid situation” and he could not give a specific number right now.

Sauschuck said that Card’s vehicle had been found in Lisbon, a town a few kilometres out of Lewiston.

Robert Card, the man identified as a person of interest in the Lewiston shootings is a firearms instructor trained by the military, according to a state police bulletin seen by the AP news agency.

The police intelligence bulletin was being circulated to law enforcement officials on Wednesday night after the shootings that left at least 16 people dead.

The bulletin says Card had been trained as a firearms instructor at a US army reserve training facility in Maine.

Melinda Small, the owner of a bar close to the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley, has told the Associated Press that 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.

She said the police flooded the roadway and a police officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building four at a time. Everyone in the bar is reported to be safe.

“I am honestly in a state of shock. I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” Small told The Associated Press. “But the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.”

Maine’s Sun Journal is reporting that police issued an alert about 9:20 pm local time for all law enforcement to be on the lookout for possible suspect Robert Card.

The paper reports that the car police believed he was driving, a white Subaru Outback, was found near a few kilometres out from the centre of Lewiston and police were seen by witnesses knocking on doors of nearby homes.

The Lewiston police department has issued an update on Facebook, naming Robert Card as a “person of interest”.

The statement says that Card, 40, should be considered “armed and dangerous”, and asks that anyone aware of his location contacts law enforcement.

Earlier, the police posted a picture of a white car and asked anyone who recognised the vehicle to contact them.

President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting in Maine and will continue to receive updates, a US official in Washington has told the Reuters news agency.

The president spoke to the governor of Maine and offered full federal support to the state, according to the White House.

The Associated Press, citing anonymous law enforcement officials, is reporting that at least 16 people have been killed in the Lewiston shootings. Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press dozens of people also had been wounded.

Local officials continue to encourage people in Lewiston to lock their doors and shelter in place. A county wide alert was sent out in the last hour.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office has released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page. The images show a gunman walking into a building with a weapon raised to his shoulder.

On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.

Officials in Lewiston have just issued a county wide shelter in place order, according to Lee Horton, an editor with the Sun Journal.

Horton wrote on Twitter that his phone had just received the order.

The public safety alert says that updates from officials will be forthcoming.

Schools in Lewiston will not open on Thursday, according to the Supt of Lewiston Public Schools.

Jake Langlais said on Twitter that there remain “a lot of unknowns at this time” and urged people to shelter in place or get to safety.

Maine’s Sun Journal has spoken to the co-owner of Schemengees Bar and Grille, a businesses that was reportedly the site of one of the shootings.

Kathy Lebel said she was not at the restaurant at the time of the shooting but was told a person walked into the restaurant and “started shooting.” The staff ran out, she said.

“It was just a fun night playing cornhole … it’s the last thing you’re expecting, right?” Lebel said. “I still feel like this whole thing is a nightmare.”

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.

Lewiston is Maine’s second largest city and part of Androscoggin County.

Maine Governor Janet Mills said in a statement she had been briefed on the situation.

The death toll in Lewiston is expected to rise, two law enforcement officials have told the Associated Press news agency.

The officials said multiple people had also been wounded and investigators were still processing the crime scenes and working to gather evidence.

The officials were not authorised to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

There are currently conflicting reports on the number of fatalities across US media, with some reporting that more than 10 people have been killed.

Maine Senator Angus King, an independent, said he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends and neighbors” and was monitoring the situation.

King’s office said the senator would be headed directly home to Maine once the Senate’s final vote is held Thursday afternoon.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office has released images of the suspected shooter, saying he remains at large.

The county sheriff asked for the public’s help in identifying the pictured suspect, a bearded man in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans holding a rifle in the firing position.

Maine state police have urged people in Lewiston to shelter in place and stay inside their homes with their doors locked.

The police say that investigations are under way at multiple locations.

At least 10 people were feared dead and 50 to 60 wounded in a mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, according to a number of US media reports citing multiple law enforcement sources.

Maine State Police and a county sheriff previously reported there had been an active shooter on Wednesday night but did not provide further details of casualties.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office posted two photographs of the suspect on Facebook, saying he was at large.

The county sheriff asked for the public’s help in identifying the pictured suspect, a bearded man in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans holding a rifle in the firing position.

The Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston issued a statement saying it was “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and coordinating with area hospitals to take patients.