A 48-hour manhunt following a tragic mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, which claimed the lives of 18 people and left 13 others injured, has come to a close. Police have confirmed that the suspected shooter, Robert R Card, has been found deceased, putting an end to the extensive search. This event marks the deadliest instance of gun violence in the state's history.
A spokeswoman for the police department in the neighboring town of Lisbon revealed, "All we can confirm is that he's deceased, and there'll be a press release."
According to information from unidentified law enforcement sources cited by ABC News, Robert R Card, aged 40, was discovered dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Card's lifeless body was located in the woods near Lisbon, close to a recycling center from which he had recently been terminated, as reported by CNN, with reference to a law enforcement source.
The suspected shooter, who was a US Army reservist, is believed to have initiated the deadly assault, commencing at a bowling alley and then proceeding to a bar, just minutes apart, on a Wednesday night.
The horrifying shootings and the subsequent extensive manhunt have left the typically vibrant and tranquil community of Lewiston in disarray. Lewiston, a city that was once a hub for textile manufacturing and is currently the second most populous in Maine, rests on the banks of the Androscoggin River, approximately 56 km north of the state's largest city, Portland, and nearly as far southwest of Maine's capital, Augusta.
Robert R Card, an Army Reserve sergeant hailing from the nearby town of Bowdoin, has been described by authorities as a trained firearms instructor who served as a petroleum supply specialist during his military reserve base duties in Saco, Maine.
Law enforcement officials have also disclosed that Card had a history of mental illness and was committed to a psychiatric facility for a duration of two weeks during the summer of 2023, after which he was released.
Shortly following the bloodshed on Wednesday night, the police disseminated surveillance camera images captured at one of the crime scenes, depicting a bearded man donning a brown, hooded sweatshirt and jeans while carrying what appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.
The search effort involved hundreds of officers representing various agencies, encompassing local police, sheriff's deputies, the FBI, and the US Coast Guard. Canadian authorities, including their border officers, remained on high alert.
The initial trail of evidence led investigators to Lisbon, situated about 11 km southeast of Lewiston, where the Maine State Police located a white SUV believed to have been used by Card to facilitate his escape, which had been parked at a boat launch along the river. Public records indicated that he owned at least one vessel manufactured by Sea-Doo, a company renowned for its jet ski-style personal watercraft.
In their pursuit of Card, authorities conducted searches in the waters of the Androscoggin River, employing divers and sonar technology on Friday. Additionally, teams of officers went door-to-door, conducting neighborhood canvasses to gather further evidence and locate potential eyewitnesses.
The US Army reported that Card enlisted in the military in 2002 but has not experienced combat. A law enforcement bulletin issued on Wednesday night in Maine noted that Card had recently reported mental health issues, including auditory hallucinations, and had made threats to "shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco."
