The hunt for a suspect in two mass shootings is ongoing in the U.S. state of Maine after at least 18 people were killed at a bar and bowling alley in the town of Lewiston, roughly three-and-a-half hours from the Canadian border.
More than 100 police are searching for a 40-year-old man identified as Robert Card.
As the search continues, here’s a look at how the events have unfolded.
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Shortly before 7 p.m. Eastern, police said gunfire first broke out at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley, in Lewiston. The Auburn communications centre received a 911 call about a male shooting at the bowling alley at approximately 6:45 p.m. Eastern, Col. William Ross, of Maine State Police, said during a news conference Thursday.
Shortly after that, at about 7:08 p.m. the centre received multiple 911 calls about an active shooter inside of Schemengees Bar and Grille at 553 Lincoln Street, Ross said.
At around 8 p.m. Eastern, Maine State Police said in an update on X, formerly known as Twitter, that there was an “active shooter” in Lewiston, urging residents to shelter in place and stay inside their homes with doors locked.
At 9 p.m. Eastern, the Lewiston Police Department released on its Facebook page multiple photos of an armed man wearing a brown hoodie and holding a rifle, asking people to contact police if they see him.
They also released photos of a white vehicle, saying it is believed that the front bumper may be painted black.
Around 11 p.m. Eastern, authorities identified Robert Card as a person of interest in the mass shootings at both locations.
At that same time, Canada issued a U.S. travel alert about the shootings, urging Canadians to monitor local media for information on the ongoing situation.
Thursday, Oct. 26
At midnight, Maine State Police said in an update on X that the shootings had resulted in “multiple casualties,” without giving a number. U.S. media outlets were reporting conflicting death tolls, citing police sources, all of which were in double digits as of midnight Thursday.
A vehicle of interest was located in the nearby town of Lisbon, police said.
Throughout the early hours of Thursday, the police search continued.
At 6 a.m. Eastern, Maine State Police said it is expanding a shelter-in-place advisory in Lewiston and Lisbon to include the nearby town of Bowdoin.
“Please stay inside your homes while more than 100 investigators, both local and federal work to locate Robert Card who is a person of interest in the Lewiston shootings,” the department said on X.
At 10.30 a.m. Eastern, Maine Gov. Janet Mills confirmed during a news conference that at least 18 people had been killed and 13 others injured in Wednesday’s violence, calling it a “dark day.”
State officials said Card is being viewed as a suspect and remains at large. An arrest warrant for eight counts of murder has been issued for him, they added, explaining only eight victims had been identified so far.
“Mr. Carr is considered armed and dangerous and police advise that Maine people should not approach him under any circumstances,” Mills said.
Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said Thursday that they’re working closely with Canadian and U.S. law enforcement “to ensure the safety and security of Canadians and protect Canada’s borders against any threat or attempt illegal entry.”
CBSA senior spokesperson, Jacqueline Roby, said the agency had issued an “Armed & Dangerous – Firearms lookout,” which alerts border officers about the high-risk situation.
All points of entry remained open on Thursday.
Around 7 p.m. Eastern, heavily armed police surrounded multiple properties connected to Card in the Lewiston area.
Officers were heard outside one home owned by Card’s relative near the town of Bowdoin, about 24 kilometres east of Lewiston, calling out on a loudspeaker for Card and anyone else inside to come out.
Maine State Police said in a statement that law enforcement officials were executing “several search warrants” in the larger Lewiston area, and that it was “unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search.”
By around 9 p.m. Eastern Thursday, police had stood down and left the search areas after it became clear Card was not inside any of the properties.
— With files from Global News’ Rebecca Lau and Sean Boynton