LEWISTON, MAINE (TIP): Robert Card, the suspect in the Lewiston mass shooting is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, authorities confirmed, bringing an end to a sweeping two-day manhunt. The gunman suspected of killing 18 people and injuring 13 others in Maine was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound on Friday, October 27 night, the authorities said. Officials briefed on the matter said the discovery was made at a recycling center where the man used to work. The news brought an end to a sweeping two-day manhunt that put people across much of the state’s southern tier under threat.
Officials said the man, Robert R. Card II, 40, had opened fire on Wednesday, October 25, on crowds at a bowling alley in Lewiston and a bar several miles away, where patrons were playing cornhole. The hunt for him had extended across a vast swath of a largely rural state with many potential hiding places.
Mike Sauschuck, Maine’s public safety commissioner, said that Mr. Card’s body was found at 7:45 p.m. on Friday in Lisbon Falls at a location near the Androscoggin River, but he did not specify when officials think he died. Lisbon Falls is about 11 miles southeast of Lewiston.
“Our community can now breathe a sigh of relief,” said David St. Pierre, the Lewiston police chief. The authorities had warned residents not to approach the suspect under any circumstances, saying he was armed and dangerous. Pentagon records suggest that he spent more than two decades in the Army Reserve.
The shooting turned a night of socializing into one of panic and forced family members to suffer through excruciating waits to learn their loved ones’ fates. It also prompted a Democratic congressman from Maine who had previously opposed a ban on assault-style weapons to reverse his position.
The authorities in Maine released a list late Friday of the 18 people who were killed in shootings at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston on Wednesday evening. They are:
Tricia C. Asselin, 53
William Frank Brackett, 48
Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40
Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34
Michael R. Deslauriers II, 51
Maxx A. Hathaway, 35
Bryan M. MacFarlane, 41
Keith D. Macneir, 64
Ronald G. Morin, 55
Joshua A. Seal, 36
Arthur Fred Strout, 42
Lucille M. Violette, 73
Robert E. Violette 76
Stephen M. Vozzella, 45
Jason Adam Walker, 51
Joseph Lawrence Walker, 57
Aaron Young, 14
William A. Young, 44
Gov. Janet Mills released this statement:
“I stand before you tonight to report that Maine State Police have located the body of Robert Card in Lisbon. He is dead. I called President Biden to inform him about this news, and I also informed Senator King and Senator Collins and Representative Pingree and Representative Golden. “Commissioner Sauschuck will describe the circumstances of that discovery to the extent possible in a few moments. This discovery is entirely thanks to the hundreds of local, county, state, and federal law enforcement members who searched tirelessly to arrive at this moment. On behalf of all Maine people, I want to express my profound gratitude for your unwavering bravery and determination, and I want to thank Lewiston Police Chief St. Pierre.
“Like many Maine people, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone else. I know there are many people who share that sentiment. I also know that his death may not bring solace to the victims of this tragedy. “While this search has concluded, I know that law enforcement continues to fully investigate this tragedy so that we can bring what closure we can to the victims and their families. I ask that all Maine people continue to keep those families, and all of the people impacted by this tragedy, in their thoughts.
“Lewiston is a special place. It is a closeknit community with a long history of hard work, of persistence, of faith, of opening its big heart to people everywhere.
“Tonight, Lewiston, and the State of Maine, begin to move forward on what will be a long and difficult road to healing, but we will heal together.”
(With inputs from agencies)