On Wednesday evening, a mass shooting occurred at two businesses in Lewiston, Maine, leaving 15 to 20 people dead and dozens more injured, according to law enforcement sources. The shooting sparked a manhunt for a person of interest, and no arrests have yet been made. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching for the suspect, who is believed to be armed and dangerous.
The incident has left the city of Lewiston in a state of shock and mourning. “I am honestly in a state of shock. I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” said Melinda Small, the owner of Legends Sports Bar and Grill. “But the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.”
The shooter is believed to be 40-year-old Robert Card, of Bowdoin. According to a state police bulletin, Card is a firearms instructor trained by the military and was recently committed to a mental health facility. The police bulletin was being circulated by law enforcement officials in the wake of the shootings.
Scott Sweetow, a former agent with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, said the gun appears to be an AR-15 style weapon, a very common type of semi-automatic rifle. “It has an optic on it, some sort of scope,” Sweetow said. “He also has a flashlight on the front, some sort of tactical light. He also has some sort of magazines. They appear go be three-round magazines attached together. He’s kitted out to kill people.”
The alert for Lewiston was made shortly after 8 p.m. as the sheriff’s office reported that law enforcement agencies were investigating “two active shooter events.” Officials issued an update around 10 p.m. for what they described as a manhunt.
Central Maine Medical Center said it was “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event,” adding that there are “no specifics to share on the number of casualties.” Maine Medical Center in Portland is also creating critical care and operating room capacity as it prepares to take in patients who were shot in Lewiston.
“Out of an abundance of caution and due the dynamic nature of this situation, MMC and other MaineHealth hospitals have closed their campuses to non-hospital personnel and non-patients until further notice,” the hospital said in a statement.
Maine State Police were planning to hold a news conference, likely at city hall, to update the public on Wednesday night. Mike Sauschuck, commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, said hundreds of officers are involved in the search. He said additional information will be released throughout the night as it becomes available.
“This is a very fluid situation,” Sauschuck said, declining to give a total number of people dead or injured. “We are looking for this person of interest right now.”
Ange Amores, a spokesperson for the city of Lewiston, said city officials are not commenting on the shooting. Amores said Maine State Police were planning to hold a news conference, likely at city hall, to update the public on Wednesday night.
Mayor Jason Levesque, the mayor of nearby Auburn, urged people in his city, Lewiston and the surrounding region to shelter in place. “We have everybody on board right now, from state, local and federal officials working on this,” he told NBC News in a phone interview.
The ATF’s Boston office said it is also responding to the active shooter event in Maine. Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for Maine Department of Public Safety, urged residents to stay in their homes with their doors locked.
“Law enforcement is currently investigating at two locations right now,” Moss said. “Again please stay off the streets and allow law enforcement
