The man won a $1.35 million Mega Millions jackpot earlier this year after purchasing a lottery ticket at a gas station in Lebanon, Maine. He has sued his child’s mother in U.S. District Court in Portland with a complaint that she violated a nondisclosure agreement by “directly or indirectly disclosing protected subject matter” about his winnings, court papers state.

The court papers state that the defendant in the case disclosed the information to the winner’s father and stepmother. Both the winner and the defendant in the case are identified only by pseudonyms.

Court filings state that the winner lives in Maine and the defendant lives in Massachusetts. The defendant has until Dec. 6 to respond to the lawsuit.

Records did not list an attorney for the defendant in the case. The winner’s attorney, Gregory Brown of Knoxville, Tennessee, told the Portland Press Herald that neither he nor his client would discuss the lawsuit.

The complaint states that the winner and the defendant entered into the nondisclosure agreement shortly after the purchase of the winning ticket. The lawsuit states that the winner is seeking an injunction from a judge and at least $100,000 in damages.

Malaga Island, a 42-acre (17-hectare) island about a 40-mile (64.37-kilometer) drive up the coast from Portland, is these days a public preserve visited by hikers and nature lovers. More than a century ago, it was home to a small community that historians believe was settled by free Black Americans around the time of the Civil War.

In late 1911, during the administration of Maine Gov. Frederick W. Plaisted, several islanders were committed to the Maine School for the Feeble-Minded. The state then bought Malaga Island from a local family and ordered the remaining residents to vacate the island by July 1912. Nearly a century later, then-Gov. John Baldacci would issue an apology on the island.

The island, located in the tiny town of Phippsburg, was formally listed on the national register on Sept. 19, federal records state. Marnie Voter, a supporter of the listing and a relative of a Malaga Island descendant, said the island is “sacred to the descendants of those who were evicted over 100 years ago” and the listing is a significant step.

“Maine acknowledges what happened there, the naming means that what happened there is of national historic interest, and to the living descendants it serves as an acknowledgment that their families were innocent pawns swept up in the politics of the eugenics movement of the day,” Voter said.

The Maine Coast Heritage Trust acquired the island in 2001 and has managed it as a preserve since. The trust has worked with descendants of the island, historians, academics and others to increase awareness of the island and its history. The former locations of homes on the island are marked, and the island itself is a part of the Maine Freedom Trail.

Still, the island and its history were largely unknown to most Maine people for decades, and it remains mysterious to many. The trust occasionally runs tours of the island, which is only accessible by boat, though it is very close to the coast.

“It’s important to note the descendants’ involvement in this achievement,” said the trust’s southern Maine conservation easement steward Caitlin Gerber. “Their overall support of the nomination, attendance at the nomination presentation, and input on various drafts has been instrumental to this process.”

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey have tasked the commission with performing a review of the events leading up to the Lewiston shootings and the response to it. Army reservist Robert Card, 40, killed 18 people in a bowling alley and a restaurant on Oct. 25 before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The commission held its first meeting on Monday and members unanimously voted to request subpoena power from the Maine Legislature.

“We will be seeking military records, and those might not be accessible to us without subpoena power,” said Toby Dilworth, a former assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Maine and a commission member. “It’s essential that we have this subpoena power.”

The commission is chaired by Daniel Wathen, former chief justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. Other members include Debra Baeder, the former chief forensic psychologist for the state, and Paula Silsby, a former U.S. attorney for the District of Maine.

The panel is expected to investigate potential missed opportunities to prevent the shootings. Card was well known to law enforcement and fellow service members had raised flags about his behavior, mental health state and potential for violence before the shootings. Card spent two weeks in a psychiatric hospital in New York last summer after an altercation with other reserve members.

Mills and Frey swiftly released a statement that they supported the move to use subpoena power. Mills, who created the commission via executive order, has called on the commission to follow the facts of the case and keep them as transparent to the public as possible.

Mills and Frey said in their statement they would “immediately begin consulting with the Independent Commission and legislative leadership to prepare legislation granting the commission the power of subpoena, with the goal of having that legislation prepared for the Legislature’s consideration at the beginning of the next session.”

The commission will meet again on Dec. 14, Wathen said. He said his goal was for the commission to produce a written report within six months, which was a timeline he called “a very ambitious goal, but highly desirable for obvious reasons.”

The commission also took comments from the public on Monday. Rep. Suzanne Salisbury, a Westbrook Democrat, called on the commission to collaborate with law enforcement as it performs its review.

“I hope that law enforcement’s voice can be heard and used as the experts they are,” Salisbury said.

The car drove into Casco Bay shortly after noon on Thursday, according to police in Portland, Maine.

Police and fire crews were able to force entry into the vehicle while it was underwater. The lobster boat was nearby. Manny Kourinos, who was on board, jumped in and helped pull out the driver, police said. The water temperature was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius).

“I’ve been diving for 20 years now and never been in that circumstance where I had to recover someone from underwater,” Kourinos told WCSH-TV.

The 33-year-old driver was listed in stable condition after being taken to a hospital, police said.

Police are investigating and said the vehicle was reported stolen out of South Portland earlier in the day.

Jurors deliberated for several hours before delivering the verdict for Kaitlin Armstrong, who investigators say tracked Wilson to the apartment where she was staying and shot her three times. They took only two hours on Thursday to convict her.

Prosecutors said Armstrong, 35, gunned down the 25-year-old Wilson in a jealous rage. Wilson had briefly dated Armstrong’s boyfriend several months earlier. Wilson went swimming and to a meal with him the day she was killed.

Armstrong’s defense attorneys had urged the jury to consider something less than life that could offer the chance for parole.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A woman convicted of murder in the shooting death of rising professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson faces up to life in prison in Texas when sentenced in a case that led investigators on a 43-day international search to find her.

Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, was convicted Thursday. Jurors will recommend a sentence after deliberations scheduled to resume Friday.

Prosecutors said Armstrong gunned down the 25-year-old Wilson in a jealous rage in May 2022. Wilson, also known as “Mo,” had briefly dated Armstrong’s boyfriend several months earlier. Wilson went swimming and to a meal with him the day she was killed.

After two weeks of testimony, jurors deliberated for about two hours before delivering their verdict.

“From the day she was born, she had a force in her,” Wilson’s mother, Karen Wilson, told jurors Thursday at the start of the punishment phase of the trial. “She lived as if every day was her last day. And she lived it so fully. She never wasted any time. … It’s as if she knew her life would be short.”

Wilson’s family and friends, who sat in the front row for most of the trial, hugged and cried after the verdict.

Caitlin Cash, the friend who found Wilson’s body and tried to perform CPR, told jurors she had texted Wilson’s mother earlier that day with a photo of her starting a bike ride with a note: “Your girl is in safe hands here in Austin.”

“I felt a lot of guilt not being able to protect her,” Cash said. “I fought for her with everything I had.”

Armstrong’s younger sister Christine and their mother sat behind the defense table and cried after the verdict. Armstrong’s father stood silently for several minutes.

Christine Armstrong told jurors her older sister “is not a bad person.”

“She’s such a special person,” Christine Armstrong said before looking at her sister. “I’ve always looked up to you. … She’s always cared for other people.”

A Vermont native and former alpine skier at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Wilson was an emerging star in pro gravel and mountain bike racing. She was visiting Austin ahead of a race in Texas, where she was among the favorites to win.

Kaitlin Armstrong tracked Wilson to the apartment where she was staying through a fitness app and shot her three times, twice in the head and once through the heart, investigators said.

“I would have done anything to stand in the way of that bullet,” Karen Wilson said. “She did not deserve a death like that.”

Kaitlin Armstrong did not testify on her own behalf during the trial.

Her Jeep was seen near the apartment around the time Wilson was shot and bullet casings found near Wilson’s body matched a gun Armstrong owned. Armstrong briefly met with police before selling her vehicle and using her sister’s passport to fly to Costa Rica.

She spent more than $6,000 on a nose job there and changed the color and style of her hair to evade authorities before she was arrested at a beachside hostel, investigators said.

Armstrong again tried to escape authorities during an Oct. 11 medical appointment outside of jail. She faces a separate felony escape charge.

Fishermen harvest horseshoe crabs on the East Coast for use as bait and in biomedical products. The animals are declining in some of their range, and they’re critically important as a food source for the red knot, a migratory shorebird listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The regulatory Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission said it will allow no harvest of female horseshoe crabs that originate in the Delaware Bay during the 2024 fishing season. The Delaware Bay is one of the most important ecosystems for the crabs, which are also harvested in large numbers in New England.

The Delaware Bay horseshoe crab population has been increasing over the last two decades, which is an encouraging sign, said John Clark, chair of the Atlantic States horseshoe crab management board. Still, shutting down the female harvest will help the red knot, which relies on crab eggs to refuel during its long migration, Clark said.

“Despite this positive finding, the board elected to implement zero female horseshoe crab harvest for the 2024 season as a conservative measure, considering continued public concern about the status of the red knot population in the Delaware Bay,” Clark said.

The board said it would allow more harvest of male horseshoe crabs in the mid-Atlantic to help make up for the lost harvest of females.

The crabs are used as bait for eels and sea snails. Their blue blood is also used to test for potentially dangerous impurities by drug and medical device makers. The animals are harvested from Maine to Florida and have lived in the ocean environment for more than 400 years.

Environmental groups have called for greater protection of horseshoe crabs in recent years, and have scored some wins. The federal government announced in August it was s hutting down the harvest of the species in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge in South Carolina during the spawning season.

Ben Prater, southeast program director for Defenders of Wildlife, said at the time that the move was important for “migratory shorebirds that count on the horseshoe crab eggs to fuel their long journeys.”

The notifications began after the state completed an assessment once they discovered that hackers exploited a vulnerability in a widely used file-transfer software. Other government agencies, major pension funds and private businesses also have been affected by a Russian ransomware gang’s so-called supply chain hack of the software MOVEit.

The specific type of data depended on the individual but could include their date of birth, driver’s license number, social security number and health and medical information.

The state said it began taking steps to patch the vulnerability, engaged with experts and legal counsel, and carried out evaluations after being alerted on May 31 of the widespread breach.

The state created a website devoted to the breach. People are encouraged to call a toll-free number to check whether their critical information was accessed. If it was then the state will provide free credit monitoring.

Naomi Thomas was reported missing after she was last seen walking away from her family’s home around 11:15 p.m.

Police spent hours overnight searching Roger Williams Park before finding her around 4:30 a.m. near the swan boats. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital soon afterwards.

“We’re all confused right now,” said James Shelton, a cousin of the 5-year-old. “No words can express – I don’t even know how to face my aunt right now, I don’t even know what to say to her.”

“She was just a child – a beautiful little girl,” another relative told 7NEWS Thursday morning.

No additional information from authorities was immediately available.

Amo, the son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants who once worked as a White House aide, succeeds former Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, who stepped down this summer to become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.

Moments after the race was called, Amo said he was grateful to be able to serve the district and state he loves.

“Undoubtedly, I’m humbled by the real momentous opportunity to serve as the first person of color,” Amo told The Associated Press before walking out to address his supporters. “But I didn’t run to make history.”

Amo, 35, said he sees himself as part of a long line of advocates who came before him, whether they were people of color or those fighting for the rights of woman or the working class.

“For Rhode Island, it’s been interesting to have an immigrant story that everyone can relate to,” he said.

Amo said one of his top priorities on arriving in Washington will be to help ensure that the federal government begins to function again.

He said he will also work to fight gun violence and protect Social Security and Medicare.

“I’m going to be a voice for making sure we can restore confidence and trust despite the Republican Party that is rife with chaos,” he said.

Amo, who grew up in Pawtucket, emerged victorious from a crowded Democratic field in the September primary, claiming more than 32% of the vote.

He served in the Obama and Biden administrations, most recently as the deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. He also served at one point in the administration of then-Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo.

Amo went to Wheaton College and studied public policy at Oxford University, and he has said he was inspired by his parents’ drive. His mother studied nursing and his father opened a liquor store in part so he could be his own boss.

“Just because my parents were born in two different West African countries, (it) doesn’t mean it doesn’t fit that narrative of how Rhode Island has been a haven for so many people from so many different places to thrive and build their families,” Amo said after his primary win.

During the primary, Amo won the endorsement of former Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who represented the district from 1995 to 2011.

Amo has said he will work to legalize abortion nationwide again and support legislation to combat climate change. He said he will also push to ban assault-style firearms, support research into gun violence prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and implement universal background checks.

His win marks an ongoing transition away from the state’s Italian American political hierarchy, which was embodied by the late Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, Providence’s charismatic longtime mayor who went to prison for corruption.

“I certainly believe I am part of a generational shift that has been underway before me,” Amo said.

Amo defeated Leonard, a U.S. Marine veteran who won the two-candidate GOP primary.

Leonard was gracious in defeat.

“You don’t go into any fight thinking you are going to lose. We approached this absolutely like this was an opportunity,” Leonard said of the election. “My opponent ran a great campaign. I called him early tonight and wished him the best. I hope he makes a great congressman.”

The Republican had criticized “Bidenomics,” saying Biden’s economic plan hasn’t helped ordinary citizens. He also said he supports U.S. efforts to aid Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The last Republican to represent the 1st Congressional District was Ron Machtley, who served from 1989-1995.

Democrat Gabe Amo and Republican Gerry Leonard are vying for Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District seat. The winner will fill the office left vacant when former Democratic Rep. David Cicilline stepped down this summer to become president and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation.

Amo, 35, grew up in Pawtucket as the son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants. He emerged victorious from a crowded Democratic field in the September primary, claiming more than 32% of the vote.

The former White House aide served in the Obama and Biden administrations, most recently as deputy director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. He also served in the administration of former Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo.

Amo, who went to Wheaton College and studied public policy at Oxford University, has said he was inspired by his parents. His mother studied nursing and his father opened a liquor store in part to be his own boss.

Amo said he would fight against what he described as “extremist” Republican attempts to slash funding for Social Security and Medicare, work to legalize abortion rights nationwide and support legislation at the federal level to combat climate change. He also said he would push to ban assault-style firearms, support funding for research into gun violence prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and implement universal background checks.

His win would mark an ongoing transition from the state’s Italian-American political hierarchy, embodied by the late Vincent “Buddy” Cianci, Providence’s charismatic longtime mayor who went to prison for corruption.

Leonard, a Marine veteran and political newcomer, is hoping to reclaim the seat for the GOP in the heavily Democratic state. The last Republican to represent the district was Ron Machtley, who served from 1989-1995.

Leonard has said he believes Americans know how to live their lives better than bureaucrats and professional politicians do.

He has criticized “Bidenomics,” saying Democratic President Joe Biden’s economic plan hasn’t helped ordinary citizens, and said he favors a more limited government. He has also said he would back U.S. efforts to aid Ukraine in its war against Russia but he thinks there should be clear goals and an exit strategy.

Leonard also said he believes states should be responsible for making laws on abortion, in line with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last year that overturned constitutional protections for abortion established in Roe v. Wade.

Leonard describes himself as a 13th-generation Rhode Islander whose ancestors fled England to escape religious persecution. He attended public schools and graduated from North Kingstown High in 1983.

He moved on to a 30-year career in the Marine Corps that included multiple overseas deployments — including combat tours in Kuwait, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan — as an infantry and reconnaissance officer, Leonard said. He lives in Jamestown and graduated from the Naval War College.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an independent, told Lt. Gen. Donna W. Martin in a letter that it’s important to understand “what occurred, or failed to occur” at the federal level, including the Army, before Robert Card opened fire at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston.

Fellow soldiers expressed concerns about Card’s mental health before the Oct. 25 shootings. One of them sent a text message in September saying, “I believe he’s going to snap and do a mass shooting,” according to law enforcement.

The senators view their federal request as working in tandem with an independent commission that Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is convening to explore the facts related to the shooting, including the police response.

“As we continue to grieve the needless loss of life that day, we must work to fully understand what happened — and what could have been done differently that might have prevented this tragedy — on the local, state, and federal levels,” the senators wrote.

The senators posed several questions including under what circumstances the Army reports personnel to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, and when the Army seeks to invoke state laws to temporarily remove firearms from a soldier’s possession.

An Army spokesperson confirmed that the letter was received and that the inspector general will “work towards getting a response.” The spokesperson had no further comment.

Concerns over Card’s mental health during military training led to a 14-day hospitalization at the Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Katonah, New York, last summer. The worries continued after Card returned home to Maine.

A deputy visited Card’s Bowdoin home twice, once with an additional deputy for backup, to perform a wellness check in September but Card never came to the door, officials said. What happened after that is unclear. The sheriff’s office canceled its statewide alert seeking help locating Card a week before the killings.

Robert Card died from a self-inflicted gunshot that “likely” happened eight to 12 hours before the discovery of his body, based on a time-of-death analysis, officials said. The conclusion was announced a week after his body was discovered in the back of a tractor-trailer on the property of his former employer at a recycling center.

In the wake of the Oct. 25 shootings, which killed 18 people and wounded 13 more, tens of thousands of area residents sheltered at home behind locked doors as hundreds of law enforcement officers scoured the area looking for Card. He fled in a vehicle that was later found abandoned on a waterfront in a nearby town.

Law enforcement agencies came under scrutiny for not finding Card’s body earlier under the assumption that he killed himself in the hours just after the shootings and that his body was overlooked in earlier searches.

But the time of death provided by the state’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Mark Flomenbaum, suggests Card, 40, was alive and potentially on the move for more than 24 hours after the killings.

The medical examiner’s office, however, said Card suffered from a condition in which his heart emptied of blood after the gunshot wound, affecting the way the blood settled in his body and potentially making the time of death less certain, according to Lindsey Chasteen, office administrator of medical examiner’s office in Augusta.

A state police spokesperson had no comment Friday.

The latest disclosure in the investigation came on the same day President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited Lewiston to pay their respects and meet with victims. “Jill and I have done too many of these,” Biden said outside the bowling alley where Card first opened fire. The other site was a nearby bar.

Card had been known to law enforcement for months as family members and others became increasingly worried about his mental state.

Concern accelerated following an altercation he had with fellow Army Reserve members. Card and other members of the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Unit were in New York for training July 15 when he accused several of them of calling him a pedophile, shoved one of them and locked himself in his motel room. Concerns over his mental health led to a 14-day hospitalization at the Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Katonah, New York.

The worries continued when Card returned to Maine. One of Card’s fellow reservists urged a superior to change the passcode to the gate and have a gun if Card arrived at the Army Reserve drill center in Saco, Maine.

“I believe he’s going to snap and do a mass shooting,” the reservist wrote in a text.

A deputy twice visited Card’s house in Bowdoin, calling for backup on the second visit, but Card didn’t come to the door. Under Maine’s “ yellow flag ” law, officers have discretion to seek to put someone in temporary protective custody and begin the process of removing the person’s access to guns.

That never happened. A sheriff said the deputies who visited Card for a wellness check didn’t have legal authority to break down the door and take Card.

What happened after the deputies’ visit remains unclear. The sheriff’s office canceled its statewide alert seeking help locating Card a week before the killings.

A drug task force including federal, state and local authorities raided the property Thursday in Burlington, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Hartford, and charged a 21-year-old man with operating a drug factory and possession with intent to sell/distribute narcotics.

The bust came as two states and several cities in the U.S. have decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms and their active ingredient, psilocybin, which along with other psychedelics have emerged as an alternative treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses. About 20 other states have active legislation on changing laws on psychedelic drugs, according to Psychedelic Alpha, a group that tracks such legislation. In Connecticut, an attempt this year to decriminalize possession of small amounts of psilocybin died in the state Senate.

Authorities said they received a tip that the resident of the Burlington home was operating a psilocybin mushroom growing operation. Federal, state and local law enforcement officials went to the property Thursday morning and said they saw ventilation equipment on the home that was consistent with items used in “clandestine laboratories.”

The man who was later arrested was at the home, and he showed them a detached garage where police said they saw a large mushroom growing operation. The man, however, said the mushrooms were not illegal. He also declined to consent to a search of the home.

Authorities then got a search warrant and found what they called psilocybin-containing mushrooms in various stages of growth.

State police released photos showing dozens of bags allegedly containing mushrooms lined up outside the home as well as stacked on metal shelving throughout the home’s interior. The photos also show portable ventilators and other equipment.

After police entered the home with the warrant, the man “admitted to investigators that the mushrooms were in fact psilocybin, which is a Schedule 1 controlled substance,” state police said in a statement. “A Schedule 1 controlled substance is defined as drugs, substances and chemicals that are not currently accepted for medical use and have a high potential for abuse.”

The man posted $250,000 bail and was ordered to appear in state court in New Britain on Nov. 16. Contact information for him could not be found in public records, and court records did not list a lawyer for him. Phone numbers listed in public records for several potential relatives of the man were no longer in service.

Oregon voters approved decriminalizing small amounts of psychedelics in 2020, and separately were the first to approve the supervised use of psilocybin in a therapeutic setting. Two years later, Colorado voters passed a ballot measure to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms and to create state-regulated centers where participants can experience the drug under supervision.

Last month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a bill that would have decriminalized the possession and personal use of several hallucinogens, including psychedelic mushrooms, saying the state first needed regulated guidelines.

The federal Food and Drug Administration designated psilocybin as a “breakthrough therapy” for treatment-resistant depression in 2019 and recently published a draft guideline on using psychedelics in clinical trials. There has also been a shift in public opinion in support of therapeutic use of psychedelics, including military veterans with trauma and other illnesses.

Biden then bent to hug Kathy Lebel, owner of the bar where eight people died in the Oct. 25 massacre. Seven more died at the nearby Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, three others at hospitals.

Biden came to Lewiston on Friday for what presidents do in these moments of horror and grief: lend comfort to the families of the victims and show support for a reeling community. It’s a trip that has become all too familiar, despite a bipartisan gun safety law passed last year after another mass shooting, and despite a series of executive orders by the president meant to curb gun violence.

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WATCH: President Biden and others deliver remarks in Lewiston, Maine as community continues to heal from mass shooting

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“Jill and I have done too many of these,” Biden said outside the bowling alley, standing in front of police officers, EMTs and others who responded to the shootings. “Jill and I are here, though on behalf of the American people to make sure you know that you’re not alone.”

Besides those killed, 13 people were injured in the shootings. Gunman Robert Card, a 40-year-old firearms instructor, was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after the killings, following a dayslong search.

Authorities said this week that Card’s family had brought their concerns about his deteriorating mental health to the local sheriff five months before the deadly rampage. He had also undergone a mental health evaluation after he began behaving erratically at a training facility last summer.

Signs hung around the town Friday read “Fix the mental health system” and simply “Be nice.” Inside the town’s elementary school, there were notes on the hallways made by students that read: “Lewiston strong” and “You ARE safe.”

The Democratic president has said he’s determined to fight gun violence in the U.S. and it’s a large part of his reelection campaign platform. He created the first White House office of gun violence prevention, which is charged with finding solutions and fully implementing landmark gun safety legislation enacted last year. One of the leaders of the office was in Maine this week helping coordinate the federal response. Biden has also pushed for a ban on assault weapons.

“This is about common sense,” he said Friday. “Reasonable, responsible measures to protect our children, our families, our communities. Because regardless of our politics, this is about protecting our freedom to go to a bowling alley, a restaurant, a school, church, without being shot and killed.”

The president has visited many other communities scarred by mass shootings. He’s been to Buffalo, New York; Uvalde, Texas; and Monterey Park, California, just in roughly the past year.

“As we mourn today in Maine, this tragedy opens a painful wound, all across the country,” Biden said. “Too many Americans have lost loved ones or survived the trauma of gun violence.”

As of Friday, there have been at least 37 mass killings in the U.S. in 2023, leaving at least 195 people dead, not including shooters who died, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

Members of the community visited the memorial outside Schemengees to grieve throughout the morning. Biden’s arrival may help the city, but it’s terrible that it had to happen, said John Murphy, of New Gloucester, who went to the memorial to pay his respects. “I’m sorry that he had to on this occasion.”

It will take years for the community to heal, said Murphy, who is 70.

“It’s going to be a long time. Maine is a beautiful state. A very peaceful state,” he said.

There were also memorials paying tribute to victims outside Just-In-Time, the bowling alley where the shootings began. The sign outside read: “Lewiston Strong! Remembering our loss Oct. 25 2023.”

Michele Stapleton of Brunswick said she was glad the president came to Maine.

“It’s very encouraging to have a president who wants to speak about gun safety. For too long, politicians have maybe felt that way, but they were maybe afraid to say it,” she said.

In fact, the shootings have many residents searching for answers.

Elizabeth Seal, who lost her husband Josh, said in an interview this week that she was frustrated to learn that semi-automatic weapons were used.

“In general, I have no issue with the use of guns,” she said through a sign language interpreter. “Some people feel more comfortable having a gun for protection or for some it’s a hunting tradition. But why do we have semi-automatic weapons available that people can get? That can cause such severe devastation?”

“I hope that our lawmakers will do something to change that,” she said. “I don’t see this problem in other countries, right? This is an American issue.”

Overall, stricter gun laws are desired by a majority of Americans, regardless of what the current gun laws are in their state, according to an AP/NORC poll. That desire could be tied to perceptions that fewer guns would mean fewer mass shootings.

Lewiston city administrator Heather Hunter, who was present when Biden spoke, said she appreciated that the president focused on the right to be safe.

“I agree, safety is one of those rights that everybody should enjoy. We have to make sure everyone in our community understands that,” she said. “This is the first set toward working to acknowledge that and to achieve that goal.”

Biden was notified of the shootings as he hosted a White House state dinner honoring Australia last week. He stepped out of the event to speak by telephone with Maine Gov. Janet Mills and the state’s representatives in Congress. On Friday, both Mills and Lewiston mayor Carl Sheline said the community was working to heal.

“We are resilient, strong and used to putting our shoulder to the wheel, Sheline said. “But nothing can prepare a community for the grief and sorrow of losing 18 souls to horrific violence.”

___

Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writer David Sharp in Portland, Maine, contributed to this report.

“I know that the Maine State Police are working hard to conduct a thorough and comprehensive criminal investigation of the shooting, but I also believe that the gravity of this attack on our people – an attack that strikes at the core of who we are and the values we hold dear – demands a higher level of scrutiny,” Mills said in a statement.

There were previous warnings about Robert Card – the US Army reservist who authorities say killed 18 people and wounded 13 others – from both the Army and his family, CNN has reported, and there were two attempts by law enforcement to check on him just weeks before the killings.

One of those warnings came after a soldier became concerned Card would “snap and commit a mass shooting.” Before that, Card’s family contacted authorities and reported they were concerned for his well-being and shared he had access to firearms.

When CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz and other reporters confronted the governor on Monday about how law enforcement handled the warnings, Mills repeatedly pointed to the ongoing investigation by state police, saying, “Determining and understanding all the facts surrounding this event is crucial.” She declined to comment on the warnings or what law enforcement knew.

In her Wednesday statement, the governor said it was important to recognize there were multiple occasions in the last 10 months in which “concerns about Mr. Card’s mental health and his behavior were brought to the attention of his Army National Reserve Unit, as well as law enforcement agencies here in Maine and in New York.”

“This raises crucial questions about actions taken and what more could have been done to prevent this tragedy from occurring,” the governor said.

“In the coming days, I will work with the Attorney General to formally establish a fully independent commission, whose charge will be to determine the facts surrounding the tragedy on October 25th, including the time that led up to it and the police response to it,” Mills said.

The governor said she wants the commission to be made up of “independent experts with legal, investigative and mental health backgrounds.”

“I hope to formally announce this commission and its membership next week so that it may conduct itself with a due sense of urgency, and above all else, follow the facts wherever they may lead,” she added.

Michael Jones, 33, was arraigned on felony charges of assault with a handgun, assault on the body of a juvenile and possession of a handgun after being convicted of a violent crime. Jones was being held without bail as of Wednesday afternoon and is due back in court next week. 

Cranston police in a statement said emergency crews first responded to a home on Queen Street around 10:15 a.m. Tuesday after receiving a 911 call reporting a four-year-old boy had been shot. 

“The caller indicated the father was responsible for the shooting,” police said. 

Police said officers arrived to find Jones holding his son with an apparent gunshot wound to the head. The child was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital and remained in critical condition as of Wednesday afternoon. Police said authorities took Jones into custody. 

Cranston police said investigators found Jones had allegedly been inside a second-floor  bedroom of his apartment, handling a loaded gun immediately before the shooting. Jones told investigators “he accidentally discharged the gun, causing a single round to travel through the wall and strike his son in the head in an adjacent room,” according to police. 

Jones was previously sentenced last year to a two-year suspended sentence and probation after he was convicted of felony assault, according to police.

Police continued, saying Jones is prohibited from possessing a gun. Authorities were still investigating how Jones acquired the gun allegedly used in this shooting as of Tuesday, according to police.

“This case is particularly difficult for all involved given the age of the victim and highlights the need to keep firearms out of the hands of prohibited individuals,” said Cranston Police Chief Col. Michael Winquist. 

“A tragedy like this hits home with our first responders, many of whom have children of their own,” Winquist continued. “Our thoughts are with the young boy and his family as he fights for survival.”

Known as the Battle of the Bridge, the game featured cross-river rivals Lewiston High School and Edward Little High School of Auburn. Lewiston won 34-18.

Last Friday’s game between the Blue Devils and the Red Eddies was postponed after the communities were locked down while police searched for 40-year-old Robert Card.

He was found dead Friday, days after shooting and killing 18 people and injuring 13 others at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston. Residents in both Lewiston and Auburn lost family and friends in the Oct. 25 shooting.

Singer James Taylor performed an acoustic version of the national anthem ahead of kickoff. There was a moment of silence.

“Words cannot express the tremendous grief our communities are experiencing over the tragedy of this past week,” a speaker said over the public address system. “As a community we are stunned. We mourn the tragic loss of lives and injuries, and our deepest sympathies go out to the victims, their families and friends.”

Then the person read out the names of the 18 who were killed, saying, “Let us not forget these names.”

“One week ago today, this community faced an unforeseeable tragedy,” Lewiston Police Chief David St Pierre told the crowd. ”I can confirm with unwavering confidence that Lewiston’s resilience has been proven and continues to shine brightly through these trying times.”

Lewiston Public Schools Superintendent Jake Langlais also spoke, thanking first responders.

“We started this week trying to do the best we could. We had an objective to care for those who cared for us, and tonight we’re doing that,” he said.

“We’re looking to pace our return to the new normal, whatever that is, in what was a command center one week ago,” Langlais said, referring to how the Lewiston campus was used by law enforcement during the massive search. “Today that place is a place of community. … We gather to say thank you, to recognize the strength of the history that is family between Lewiston and Auburn.”

Fans and students decked out in school colors began arriving about two hours before kickoff to snag good seats. Blue and white balloons hung from a fence near the field, and a banner displayed the interlocked first letters of Lewiston and Auburn and the phrase, “We stand together.”

Placards with the names of each of the victims written in blue in the center of a heart were also posted on the fence.

Among the first to arrive was Mark Barrett, a 58-year-old car salesman from Lewiston who knew two people who were injured in the shooting.

“It’s like they say, ‘Lewiston strong.’ We are all here together as one,” Barrett said. “This is probably the perfect setting, because it’s against your crosstown rival. It’s going to be great game. It’s going to be a game of unity.”

The game is one of the most important every year for the former mill towns, with friends and family having connections to it that go back decades. In the past the schools would have a walking parade from one city to the next, with fans dressing up in their team colors — blue and white for Lewiston, maroon and white for Edward Little.

The winner gets to hold onto a trophy for the year and, of course, bragging rights.

Before the kickoff, organizers held a ceremony to honor first responders including police, firefighters, EMTs and hospital workers. Dozens stood in rows on the field while the crowd cheered for several minutes,

Kaiya Poulin, a 15-year-old first-year student from Lewiston, said she was heartened to get support even from people in Auburn who would normally be bitter rivals.

“It’s definitely good to see everyone,” she said. “We missed everyone. We couldn’t see each other. We were worried about one another.”

Barrett’s granddaughter, 13-year-old Aiyana Warren, said she was a bit nervous to come out for the game but was glad she did.

“At the end of the day, I just feel like we’re all coming together,” she said. “Most of us here have good intentions, just trying to get back with our community and build back better.”

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft sent a message of support.

“Tonight two communities come together to celebrate a century-old tradition, the Battle of the Bridge,” Kraft said in a video statement. “Despite heavy hearts, football has always brought communities together, and never had that been more important than right now.”

This game even caught the eye of actor Will Ferrell, who did a hype video that the Lewiston High’s athletic department posted on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter. In it, Ferrell stares into the camera as if he is a coach prepping his players for the big game.

“Today’s the day. Showdown. Lewiston versus Edward Little. Everyone’s going to be watching, everyone’s going to be talking about it,” he says. “So lets bring it on! Lets bring it on like Donkey Kong! Have a great game. Go! Fight! Win! Whatever that means.”

The school confirmed it worked with Ferrell on the video, with Langlais calling him a “good human that thought comedy and humor might help as part of the healing process.”

Brandon Morin, 36, a lifelong Lewiston resident, brought his 3- and 5-year-old daughters to the game.

“Unity is the big word going around right now,” he said. “It’s huge we all come together because after the tragic things that did happen, t’s good we remember the importance of each other and the passion of friendship, family and love.”

Jennifer Laroche-Albert, a counselor at Lewiston High, said it was “awesome to see families, students and our athletes bonding together.”

Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, has pleaded not guilty to murder and faces up to 99 years in prison in the May 2022 slaying of Wilson, a competitive gravel and mountain bike racer. Wilson had been shot several times when she was found at a friend’s home before a race that she was among the favorites to win.

“The last thing Mo did on this earth was scream in terror,” Travis County prosecutor Rickey Jones told jurors in opening statements.

He said nearby surveillance equipment captured the screams.

“Those screams are followed by ‘Pop! Pop!’” Jones said, punching his fist into his hand for emphasis. “You won’t hear any more screams after that.”

Seconds after those shots, Jones said, “Kaitlin Armstrong stood over Mo Wilson and put a third shot right into Mo Wilson’s heart.”

In a short opening statement, defense attorney Geoffrey Puryear said Armstrong was caught in a “web of circumstantial evidence.”

No video evidence or witnesses can put Armstrong at the scene of the shooting, Puryear said.

Police have said Wilson, a 25-year-old Vermont native, had previously dated Armstrong’s boyfriend, Colin Strickland, who also was a competitive gravel racer, and had gone swimming with him earlier in the day. The trial began three weeks after authorities said Armstrong tried to escape from custody.

Prosecutors said they will show that Armstrong tracked Strickland’s communications with Wilson — as well as Wilson’s whereabouts — in the weeks and days before the shooting. Armstrong was able to track Wilson’s location because Wilson had not turned on a safety feature on a phone app.

Armstrong’s SUV was seen at the apartment where Wilson was staying the night she was killed. Police also said shell casings found at the scene matched a gun found at Armstrong’s home.

Investigators quickly cleared Strickland. Prosecutors said Wednesday that video and cellphone calls, texting, and location data will confirm that he was nowhere near the shooting.

The case drew international headlines when Armstrong fled the country after her initial meeting with police, leading to a 43-day search. Investigators said she sold her vehicle for $12,000 and fled the country using her sister’s name, email, credit card and passport.

Federal authorities tracked Armstrong to Costa Rica, where prosecutors said she spent $6,425 for surgery to change her appearance and used several aliases while attempting to establish herself as a yoga instructor. She also had cut and darkened her hair, and had a bandage on her nose and discoloration under her eyes when arrested at a beachside hostel.

Armstrong told police when she was arrested that she was injured in a surfing accident.

Armstrong’s attorney suggested the sudden flight out of the country was not an attempt to escape justice.

“She would have no reason to know about any (arrest) warrant, You will hear Kaitlin is passionate about travelling and passionate about yoga,” Puryear said.

The case took another turn when authorities said Armstrong tried to escape from two officers who escorted her to a medical appointment outside of the jail on Oct. 11.

Cellphone video recorded in the parking lot showed Armstrong, handcuffed and in striped jail clothes, running from an officer and trying to climb a fence. Authorities have said Armstrong appeared to plan her escape by complaining of an injury to get the outside medical appointment and have her leg restraints removed.

She faces an additional felony escape charge punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

One week later, many in Lewiston and nationwide are asking: Why did he have guns at all?

Robert Card was identified by authorities as a person of interest about four hours after he shot and killed 18 people and wounded 13 others at a bowling alley and bar in Maine’s second-largest city. But Card, who was found dead two days after his rampage, had been well known to law enforcement for months.

The questions about how Card was able to own guns underscore the difficulty in seizing guns from potentially dangerous people with mental illness — especially when numerous states and jurisdictions are involved, as was the case with Card.

The police agencies that responded to the mass shooting faced pressure to account for how Card could have owned guns after spending time in a psychiatric facility in New York. Card reportedly blamed Army Reserve officials for his hospitalization, according to a letter an unidentified member of the unit wrote to a Maine sheriff’s deputy.

The letter was included in the deputy’s Sept. 15 report about efforts to contact Card. It’s unclear when it was sent, but the writer describes getting a call from a friend of Card’s who was concerned Card was “going to snap and commit a mass shooting.”

Card threatened to shoot up the Army reserve drill center in Saco, Maine, and other places, and that he was going to get “them.”

“Since the commander and I are the ones who had him committed we are the ‘them,’” wrote the unidentified letter writer. “He also said I was the reason he can’t buy guns anymore because of the commitment.”

Authorities at the state and federal level have not said that Card’s history of mental illness should have triggered laws that kept him from owning guns. There was nothing on Card’s record before the shooting that would have kept him from passing a federal background check to buy a gun, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said in a statement.

How involuntary commitments are reported to federal authorities differs by state, said Mark Collins, federal policy director at the gun-violence prevention group Brady.

Generally, though, not everyone who gets mental health treatment at a facility is considered involuntarily committed. That’s a determination legally made by a court or a board, which then communicates it to another state body tasked with sending that information to the federal background-check system maintained by the FBI.

Each state has an agency that should report it, but it’s not legally required everywhere, he said. Maine, for example, does require the State Bureau of Identification to report commitments to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

“This is the clearest cut case I’ve seen where an extreme-risk protection order could have saved all these lives,” Collins said, referring to measures often called “red-flag” laws, which Maine does not have. “This guy did everything short of taking out a front-page ad in the newspaper saying he was going to commit an atrocity.”

Concern about Card’s behavior accelerated after an altercation he had with fellow Army Reserve members this summer. Card and other members of the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Unit were in New York for training on July 15 when he accused several of them of calling him a pedophile, shoved one of them and locked himself in his motel room. The next morning, he told another soldier that he wanted people to stop talking about him.

“I told him no one was talking about him and everyone here was his friend. Card told me to leave him alone and tried to slam the door in my face,” the soldier later told Maine authorities, according to documents released by the sheriff’s office.

New York State Police responded and brought Card to a hospital at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point for an evaluation. Card spent 14 days at the Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Katonah, New York, which is a few miles (kilometers) from West Point.

Jonathan Crisp, an army lawyer for two decades before starting a criminal defense practice, said when soldiers are committed involuntarily to mental health facilities by others in the chain of command, it is a “reportable” event under Army regulations that triggers a requirement to alert others. A provost marshal enters the incident into a military database that puts the FBI on notice so it can enter the name into a background list of people prevented from buying weapons.

“If they took him and he didn’t want to go and he refused to be admitted, it’s a slam dunk,” Crisp said. “This should have been reported.”

Card returned home on Aug. 3, according to the Army. At that time, the Army directed that while on duty, he shouldn’t be allowed to have a weapon, handle ammunition or participate in live-fire activity. It also declared him to be non-deployable.

While much is still unknown surrounding the nature of Card’s mental health treatment, military experts say that even if Card’s commanders determined he shouldn’t be around weapons after being committed, they would have had only a handful of options to implement, such as prohibiting him from handling weapons while on duty or attempting to sever him from the Army Reserves. There’s little they can do when the citizen-soldiers are away from their unit and back in civilian life.

Several weeks after his release from the hospital, on Sept. 15, a deputy was sent to visit Card’s home in Bowdoin, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Lewiston, for a wellness check. Card’s unit requested it after a soldier said he was afraid Card was “going to snap and commit a mass shooting” because he was hearing voices again, according to documents released by the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy went to Card’s trailer but couldn’t find him.

Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry said Wednesday deputies didn’t have legal authority to press the case if Card didn’t want to open the door.

On Oct. 18, the sheriff’s office canceled a statewide alert seeking help locating Card.

One week later, shortly before 7 p.m. on Oct. 25, authorities began receiving 911 calls about a gunman at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston. Four local police officers who were in plain clothes at a nearby gun range arrived at the shooting scene a minute and a half after the first 911 call, but the gunman had already left. Other Lewiston officers arrived at the scene within four minutes of the first call.

Twelve minutes after the first 911 call and as the first state troopers began arriving at the bowling alley, authorities began getting calls about a gunman at Schemengees Bar and Grille about 4 miles (6.4 km) away. Officers arrived at the bar five minutes later, but again, the attacker had already left.

Seven people were killed at the bowling, eight were killed at the bar and three others died at the hospital, authorities said.

Hundreds of students were back in class at Lewiston High School, petting therapy dogs and signing a large banner that read “Lewiston Strong” — the community’s new motto. Days earlier, the campus had been transformed into a law enforcement command post with three helicopters utilizing the athletic fields and 300 vehicles filling the parking lot.

“Today’s going to be hard,” said Superintendent Jake Langlais. “But I think there’s strength in gathering, in unity, in getting back together.”

Jayden Sands, a 15-year-old sophomore, said one of his football coaches lost four friends, one of his best friends lost a friend, and his mom’s friend got shot four times but survived.

He said he’s glad to be back at school but is also worried about his safety. He said everyone at school will “try to act like everything is fine, but it’s not.”

“A lot of people shocked and scared,” he said. “I’m just happy to be here. You know, another day to live. Hopefully it gets better.”

On Wednesday night, a U.S. Army reservist and firearms instructor from Bowdoin fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston. That sparked a massive search on land and water for 40-year-old Robert Card, who was found dead Friday. Police and other authorities issued a shelter-in-place order for residents while trying to track down the suspected shooter.

Calista Karas, a senior at Lewiston High, said students still have a lot to process. Karas was frightened while sheltering at home and, when the shootings happened, couldn’t immediately reach her mother at work.

“You know, I just couldn’t believe something like this would happen here, to us,” Karas said. “And I know that sounds like detached, kind of like, ‘Oh, we wouldn’t be affected.’ But you never think it’s gonna happen to you when it happens.”

When she walked through the school doors on Tuesday, Karas said she felt her stomach drop a bit.

“Not because I felt unsafe,” she said. “But because I felt like, what’s going to happen from here on out?”

She thinks it’ll take a long time before the community feels back to normal. A lot people, including her, don’t feel like celebrating Halloween.

“It was a weird experience to walk though school and see… life going on,” she said.

Langlais. the superintendent, said staff and students will take it one day at a time, understanding that some will need more support than others, depending on their proximity to deadly rampage.

“Having helicopters with search lights and infrared sensors over your homes and apartments is pretty uncomfortable,” he said. “So we’re recognizing that everybody had some level of impact.”

Five months before the shooting, Card’s family alerted the local sheriff that they were becoming concerned about his deteriorating mental health while he had access to firearms, authorities said Monday.

Card underwent a mental health evaluation this summer after accusing soldiers of calling him a pedophile, shoving one and locking himself in his room during training in New York, officials said. A bulletin sent to police shortly after last week’s attack said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks after “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.

The Army in July said that Robert Card, 40, “should not have a weapon, handle ammunition, and not participate in live fire activity,” after he was seen “behaving erratically” and sent for an evaluation at an Army hospital, Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro said.

About two months later, a deputy was sent to check on Card twice in mid-September after a soldier became concerned the reservist would “snap and commit a mass shooting,” according to a document from the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department. An alert was then sent to law enforcement warning that Card was “armed and dangerous.”

That was less than six weeks before the terror unfolded in Lewiston on Wednesday evening, when Card first opened fire at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley and then at Schemengees Bar & Grille about 4 miles away, authorities said.

The violence – which marked the deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year – was followed by an extensive 48-hour manhunt that ended with Card being found dead inside a recycling facility box trailer with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.

While questions remain over what motivated the attack and why those locations were targeted, previous warnings about Card that are coming to light are raising questions over authorities’ handling of the warning signs and his access to the firearms.

“An important part of our response in the coming weeks will be to understand exactly what happened and to ask ourselves what changes are needed to protect the safety of Maine people,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills said Monday.

The mass shooting upended life in Lewiston and surrounding communities, injecting fear into the area and ripping families apart.

The 18 people killed ranged in age from 14 to 76. They included a boy who was bowling with his father, contestants in a cornhole tournament for the deaf, and several fathers who leave behind young children.

Family contacts officials about gunman

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office was contacted on May 3 by Card’s family, who said they were concerned for his well-being and shared that he had access to firearms, documents show.

Card’s 18-year-old son told a deputy that starting around January, his father was “starting to claim that people were saying things about him, while out in public,” according to documents shared by the sheriff’s office.

His ex-wife also told the deputy that Card had “picked up 10-15 handguns/rifles” that were at his brother’s house, the document says.

The ex-wife and son said their plan was to stay away from Card, according to the documents.

After speaking with the family, the deputy spoke with representatives of the 3rd Battalion 304 Training Group and connected them with Card’s family, “who assured our office that they would ensure that Card received medical attention,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.

Deputies sent to gunman’s home weeks before shootings

In September, an Army Reserve unit in Saco reached out to the sheriff’s office in an email to ask for a wellness check on Card.

The email says that on July 15, Card was getting beer in West Point with some soldiers when he accused the three of them of calling him a pedophile and ended up shoving a soldier and saying, “he would take care of it,” according to a letter shared by the sheriff’s office.

Card was taken to a psychiatric hospital, where he spent two weeks before being released, the letter says.

Then there was another incident.

Card and a soldier were driving home from a casino when he again started talking about people calling him a pedophile, a statement to Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office said.

“When [his friend] told him to knock it off because he was going to get into trouble talking about shooting up places and people, [he] punched him,” the statement said. “According to [the friend], [he] said he has guns and is going to shoot up the drill center at Saco and other places … [the friend] is concerned that [he] is going to snap and commit a mass shooting.”

The threat to the military facility in Saco led to some extra patrols, Saco Police Chief Jack Clements told WMTW Maine, but the reservist never showed up.

The US Army told CNN the health and wellness check was requested by the shooter’s unit “out of an abundance of caution after the unit became concerned for his safety.”

“The Army takes all allegations seriously. Due to an ongoing Army investigation, we cannot go into any further details,” the email statement from Castro, the Army spokesperson, said.

A deputy went to Card’s home on September 15, and then again September 16, but didn’t see him, the sheriff’s department said.

The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office sent a File 6 alert – an attempt to locate teletype – to other law enforcement agencies about Card, warning that he’s known to be armed and dangerous. The sheriff’s office said File 6 alerts are “common and are issued by law enforcement when they are trying to locate a person.”

“Robert has been suffering from psychotic episodes & hearing voices,” the alert to law enforcement says. “He is a firearms instructor and made threats to shoot up the National Guard armory in Saco. He was committed over the summer for two weeks due to his altered mental health state, but then released… if located, use extreme caution.”

The File 6 alert was canceled on October 18 – a week before the mass shootings.

Law enforcement officials have said Card, a certified firearms instructor, had extensive training, including land navigation and firearms.

The Sagadahoc County deputy later spoke with Card’s unit commander, “who said that Mr. Card no longer had any weapons from the reserve unit,” the sheriff’s office said.

His commander said they were trying to get treatment for Card and that “he thought it best to let Card have time to himself,” the sheriff’s office added.

The next day, on September 17, the deputy spoke to Card’s brother, who said “that he would work to secure any firearms that Mr. Card had access to,” according to the sheriff’s office.

“We believe that our agency acted appropriately and followed procedures for conducting an attempt to locate and wellness check.” Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry​ said in a statement Monday.

“My office will evaluate our policies and procedures for how we conduct wellness checks with the goal of making any improvements that are in the interest of public safety while balancing the rights of individuals,” Merry added.

Authorities detail firearms found with Card

Investigators said they believe the firearm Card used in the shooting rampage was legally bought in mid-July — just days before he was hospitalized and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

The weapon that was found inside Card’s 2013 white Subaru Outback appears to be the same one fired by the gunman at the bowling alley and a local bar, though a ballistics match has not been confirmed, sources said.

When authorities found Card dead Friday night, they found a Smith & Wesson M&P .40 caliber handgun and a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle with him, according to a news release from the Maine Department of Public Safety.

“Forensic and ballistic testing still needs to be conducted” on the weapons, according to the release.

Although “there’s a mental health component to this,” that would not necessarily mean Card was not eligible to buy a gun, Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck has said.

Maine gun laws do not prohibit a person from buying a gun based strictly on a mental health diagnosis or treatment, according to Sauschuck.

“Based on what I’ve heard through conversations this morning, I’m told that we don’t have access to any ‘forcibly committed for treatment’ information in reference to Mr. Card,” Sauschuck said Saturday.

Without being required by a court to receive mental health treatment, Card’s name likely would not be flagged during a firearms purchase. “If that didn’t happen,” Sauschuck said, “then … the background check is not going to ping that this person is prohibited.”

Police said the boy was shot in the head inside a residential building on Queen Street Tuesday morning. He is in critical condition.

33-year-old Michael Jones is facing several charges. Police said he accidentally shot his son when he was handling a loaded gun. They said Jones was in a second floor bedroom when the gun went off. The bullet traveled through the wall, hitting the boy who was in an adjacent room.

When officers arrived, they said Jones was holding his son. Jones has previously been convicted of a felony assault, so he is barred from owning a weapon.

Police said the boy was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital and was expected to undergo surgery.

Investigators were questioning the boy’s father, who is facing charges including felony assault.

Col. Michael Winquist of the Cranston Police Department said Cranston officers were “some of the first ones inside the residence.”

“Any time you see a child that’s injured, especially to this degree, it’s always a difficult situation,” Winquist said. “…We’re praying and hoping the child makes it.”

Winquist continued, saying “Our thoughts are with the family, at this time, and the child.”

Officers from the Sagadahoc County and Kennebec County Sheriff’s Offices responded and tried to contact Robert Card on September 16, less than six weeks before Wednesday’s massacres in a bowling alley and a bar, documents say, according to a law enforcement source.

The information obtained by CNN describes how the Sagadahoc County sergeant called for backup, tried without success to talk to the reservist and then received disturbing details from the Maine National Guard and the shooter’s family.

The responding sergeant from the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office was told “when [he] answers the door at his trailer, in the past he usually does so with a handgun in hand out of view from the person outside,” according to the source familiar with the welfare check report.

The responding officer learned later in a letter from the National Guard that a fellow guardsman “is concerned that [the reservist] is going to snap and commit a mass shooting,” according to the report filed in connection with the wellness check.

The 40-year-old went on two shooting rampages in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, killing 18 people at Just-in-Time Recreation and at Schemengees Bar & Grille.

The initial panic was followed by 48 hours of fear and lockdown before he was found on Friday night, dead from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, about 10 miles away.

CNN’s reporting raises new questions about the lack of follow-through to make sure the man was not a danger despite serious warning signs that were known by authorities and are now being detailed for the first time.

Maine has a “yellow flag” law that can be used to assess an individual with access to weapons. The first step is for law enforcement to take someone believed to be dangerous into custody and then have them evaluated by a medical professional. After a diagnosis, a judge can approve an order to temporarily remove firearms, according to the law.

A File 6 missing person’s report appears to have been generated by the Sagadahoc sergeant who tried to check on the man, the source told CNN, but it is unclear if there was any action in regard to the shooter’s access to weapons. The source said the case appeared to have been closed on October 1, 24 days before the massacres.

CNN started raising questions about what information law enforcement in the state had about threats and the mental health condition of the shooter on Thursday. But when CNN asked State Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck about it, he replied: “I won’t answer.”

He continued: “Based on what I’ve seen, we’re going to continue to work through that.”

A spokesperson for the state police on Sunday said the organization was the lead agency for the manhunt and homicide investigations but no other aspect, directing CNN to ask questions about what was known before to Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry.

“The Department of Public Safety (DPS) nor the Maine State Police requested a teletype on Robert Card prior to October 26. It should also be noted that no bulletins or assistance was requested from MSP’s Maine information and analysis center. DPS has no regulatory authority over law-enforcement agencies in Maine,” she said, declining to give any elaboration.

CNN was unable to reach Merry on Sunday. A woman who answered the door at his home said he was “done,” indicating he did not want to speak.

CNN also tried to request comments on this story from the shooter’s family and the Maine National Guard, who were closely involved in the September attempts to check on the man’s welfare. Neither has responded.

Nearly three months before Wednesday’s shootings, Card tried to buy a firearm silencer from Coastal Defense Firearms in Auburn, Maine, but the owner of the store, Rick LaChapelle, refused to let Card complete the purchase after he disclosed on a form that he had mental health issues, The New York Times reported.

Parking lot threats

Soon after Card was identified as the suspect, his mental health struggles were also reported.

According to information apparently supplied to Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office by the Maine National Guard, the man spent 14 days at a psychiatric hospital in July before being released.

That hospital stay was prompted after he had trouble with other soldiers in New York state in July.

The National Guard told the Sagadahoc sheriff’s office their reservist had begun hearing insulting voices in the spring, and they had only gotten worse.

On July 15 near West Point, he and other soldiers “had gone to a convenience store to get some beer,” according to information shared with CNN, quoting a National Guard letter.

“In the parking lot [he] accused three of them of calling him a pedophile and said he would take care of it,” it went on. “One of the soldiers who had been friends with [him] for a long time was there. [He] got in his face, shoved him, and told him to stop calling him a pedophile.”

The law enforcement source told CNN they said they calmed their comrade down, got back to the motel, where he locked himself in his room and would not respond.

The next day, another guardsman got the key to his room and saw him. “[He] told me to leave him alone and tried to slam the door in my face,” the report quoted him as saying, adding that the guardsman took the man to a base hospital where a psychologist determined he needed further treatment, which led to the 14-day psychiatric stay.

Punching a soldier

After his release, there was another incident that led to the Maine National Guard calling for a well-being check.

The man and a friend who was a soldier were driving home from a casino when he started talking about people calling him a pedophile, the National Guard statement to Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office said.

“When [his friend] told him to knock it off because he was going to get into trouble talking about shooting up places and people, [he] punched him,” the statement said. “According to [the friend], [he] said he has guns and is going to shoot up the drill center at Saco and other places … [the friend] is concerned that [he] is going to snap and commit a mass shooting.”

The threat to the National Guard facility in Saco led to some extra patrols, Saco Police Chief Jack Clements told WMTW Maine, but the troubled guardsman never showed up.

Sagadahoc County Sheriff Merry told The New York Times he sent an alert to all law enforcement agencies in Maine sometime in September after learning of the threat to the Saco base.

CNN had not been able to independently verify that.

Merry told The Associated Press it was the Army Reserve who tipped him off to the possible danger.

An Army spokesperson told CNN Card’s unit had requested a health and welfare check from the sheriff’s office.

“In September, the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s office responded to a health and welfare check requested by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Card’s unit out of an abundance of caution after the unit became concerned for his safety,” Lt. Col. Ruth Castro said. “The Army takes all allegations seriously. Due to an ongoing Army investigation, we cannot go into any further details.”

Investigators said the shooter already had the high-powered Ruger SFAR rifle later used in the killings by then, having bought it and a Beretta 92-F 9mm semi-automatic pistol earlier in July.

Brother told police the family could secure the weapons

When the Sagadahoc and Kennebec officers were deployed to his home on September 16, they did not make contact with the shooter but soon learned of his mental health problems and his guns, the law enforcement source told CNN.

The reservist would not answer the door to officers, the source said, so officers started to make calls to those who knew him.

The unit commander told one officer that the man no longer had any Guard weapons and arrangements had been made with his brother who had retrieved his personal firearms.

The commander also reportedly told the officer that he thought it best to let the man have time to himself.

The following day, the Sagadahoc officer spoke with the shooter’s brother, who warned him that the man would likely be armed if he did answer the door.

“I was later contacted by [the brother,] he told me that between him and his father they would work to ensure that [the man] does not have access to any firearms. They have a way to secure his weapons,” the source quoted from a welfare check report.

The responding police officer said he told the brother that the intention was to make sure his sibling did not hurt himself or others. He said his department would help to facilitate a mental health evaluation if needed.

That was on September 17. Thirty-eight days later, the National Guard reservist walked into a bowling alley and started shooting.  A 14-year-old boy playing with his father and contestants in a cornhole tournament for the deaf were among those killed. He then went to a bar and killed more, including the manager who tried to stop him.

Dozens of people at Seven Cedars Farm helped get the girl out from under the trailer before she was rushed to the hospital.

Smithfield High School, where the girl is enrolled as a student, is offering counseling services to its students.

The farm says it is closing for the season.

This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

More than 1,000 people attended Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for a vigil in Lewiston, where days earlier a gunman fatally shot 18 people. Some put their heads in their hands as the names of the people who died in Wednesday’s shooting were read. Others quietly wept.

Hundreds more watched a livestream of the vigil shown on a huge screen in front of the church. Some held American flags and others had lit candles in cups marked with the names of the dead and injured.

“Remember to seek healing over relief. Relief is temporary. Healing is permanent. Pain is temporary,” the Rev. Gary Bragg of the Southern Baptist Church in Lewiston said. As he spoke, he asked the crowd to welcome their neighbor to the service with the words “I am so glad you are here” and then to ask how they might help them.

The vigil came two days after the body of suspected gunman Robert Card was found. The 40-year-old’s body was discovered in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls. Card died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound though it was unclear when, authorities said. Card was also suspected of injuring 13 people in the shooting rampage Wednesday night in Lewiston.

Christian leaders along with a rabbi and an imam spoke of the pain from the shooting but also the healing process and the resilience of the community of 40,000. There was also a speaker from Lewiston’s deaf and hard of hearing community, as four of its members were killed in the shooting.

Kevin Bohlin, who represented the deaf community, signed his message, which was delivered through an ASL interpreter, about how the tragedy hit close to home for the community. Several in attendance could be seen signing to one another throughout the vigil.

The victims are now gone, he said, “but they are directing us to come together and make a difference in this world.”

The Rev. Allen Austin, a senior pastor at Pathways Vineyard Church in Lewiston encouraged the crowd to “stay focused on the things that invite peace into our communities.”

Austin said he hopes that what arises from the tragedy is a “kinder people, a more compassionate people, a more merciful people.”

The Rev. Todd Little from the First United Pentecostal Church of Lewiston spoke at the vigil of a diverse community that now has something new in common after the tragedy: “shared brokenness, worry, fear and loss.”

He also vowed that the community is bigger than the tragedy and will emerge not just “Lewiston Strong” but “Lewiston Stronger.’

“We will not be defined by the tragedies that happened,” he said. “Fear, anxiety and trepidation will not dictate our present or our future.”

Meanwhile, Lewiston was slowly reopening. Lewiston Public Schools released a limited schedule for the week “with room for reflection as we move forward.” Only the staff was returning Monday; students were due back Tuesday. The Lewiston City Hall planned to reopen on Monday afternoon.

Earlier on Sunday, several church services were shaped by the shooting and subsequent lockdown lasting days. At the morning mass at Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, several women wore black veils. A church official said they are raising funds to help those hurt by “the horrible events in our small town.”

“We can see the rays of light in darkness,“ said the Rev. Daniel Greenleaf, adding it is for times like this that people have “practiced” their faith.

At Lisbon Falls Baptist Church, arriving church members greeted each other warmly but the atmosphere turned somber when the Rev. Brian Ganong brought up the tragedy. He prayed for those fighting for their lives, those who lost family and friends, first responders and medical workers, and others — including the Card family, who he said had ties to some members of the church.

“It did happen. We may never know the reason why,” he said, encouraging the congregation to seek solace through a higher being.

Authorities recovered a multitude of weapons while searching for Card and believe he had legally purchased his guns, including those recovered in his car and near his body, said Jim Ferguson, the special agent in charge of the Boston office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He declined to discuss any specifics.

Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre, but have increasingly focused on Card’s mental health history.

State Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said Card believed “people were talking about him and there may even have been some voices at play.”

Family members of Card told federal investigators that he had recently discussed hearing voices and became more focused on the bowling alley and bar, according to law enforcement officials who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of the investigation.

A stay-at-home order in place during the massive search was lifted Friday afternoon, hours before authorities announced they had found Card’s body. By Saturday, some sense of normalcy returned. Residents went hunting on the opening day of hunting season for deer, and one family handed out buckets of flowers downtown.

On Sunday at Schemengees Bar & Grille, one of the shooting sites, workers in white hazmat suits could be seen methodically cleaning up a staircase. Yellow tape surrounded the site and a small memorial erected nearby featuring colorful balloons, flowers and a poster that read: “Be Strong Lewiston.

Leroy Walker, an Auburn city councilor and father of one of the victims, was greeting people at a trick-or-treat event on Sunday, hosted by an organization he leads. He smiled broadly when the children hugged him but he became emotional when he spoke of his son, Joseph, who normally would’ve joined him at the event.

“It’s been a tough few days, trust me. The heart doesn’t stop bleeding,” he said.

The deadliest shootings in Maine’s history stunned a state of 1.3 million people that has relatively little violent crime and only 29 killings in all of 2022.

Three of the injured remained in critical condition at Central Maine Medical Center, and a fourth was stable, hospital officials said. Another was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital, and the rest were discharged.

The Lewiston shootings were the 36th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. The database includes every mass killing since 2006 from all weapons in which four or more people, excluding the offender, were killed within a 24-hour time frame.

Two local law enforcement chiefs told The Associated Press that a statewide awareness alert was sent in mid-September to be on the lookout for Robert Card after the firearms instructor made threats against his base and fellow soldiers. But after stepped-up patrols of the base and a visit to Card’s home – neither of which turned up any sign of him – they moved on.

“We added extra patrols, we did that for about two weeks. … The guy never showed up,” said Jack Clements, the police chief in Saco, home to the U.S. Army Reserve base where Card trained.

Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry, whose jurisdiction includes Card’s home in Bowdoin, said the Army Reserve tipped his department in September to the reservist’s threats, and the sheriff sent the awareness alert to every law enforcement agency in the state after his deputy came back empty-handed from a welfare check to Card’s home.

“We couldn’t locate him,” Merry said, adding that he couldn’t recall if there was any follow-up because “I don’t have any reports in front of me.”

Military officials declined to comment further about Card, specifically whether the threats relayed to the sheriff in September were new or the same ones Card had made during an Army reserve training exercise near West Point, New York, in July. That’s when police say Card was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks after acting erratically and “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.

Authorities say the 40-year-old Card opened fire with a high-powered rifle on a bowling alley and then a bar in Lewiston Wednesday night, killing 18 people and wounding 13 more. After an intensive two-day search that put the state on edge, Card was found dead Friday from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Despite the earlier threats, the FBI said Saturday Card had not been on its radar, telling AP it “did not have nor did it receive any tips or information concerning Robert Card.” The bureau added that its instant background check system “was not provided with or in possession of any information that would have prohibited Card from a lawful firearm purchase.”

Card’s case stands as a glaring example of missed red flags, with many unanswered questions about what the military, police, mental health professionals and relatives could have done to prevent the massacre.

While Maine does not have a red flag law, it does have a more limited “ yellow-flag ” law that would still allow police to petition a judge to take a person’s firearms away if a medical practitioner deems that person to be a threat.

For his part, Saco police Chief Clements defended his department’s response to the alert about Card, which he described as a “generic thing that came out saying, hey, you know, we’ve had some report that this guy’s made some veiled threats.”

Clements noted that his department gets many such alerts and that his officers gave this one its due attention, keeping an eye on the base for any sign of Card.

“Never came in contact with this guy, never received any phone calls from the reserve center saying, ‘Hey, we got somebody who was causing a problem,’” he said. “We never got anything.”

Another law enforcement agency that came in contact with Card was the New York State Police, which on July 16 was called in West Point by commanders of the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment with concerns about Card’s erratic behavior and “threats to other members of his military unit” during a training exercise, according to a State Police document obtained by AP. State Police troopers took Card, a sergeant 1st class, to the Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point for what would be two weeks of mental health evaluation.

What New York State Police did about Card’s threats is unclear. The agency declined to comment to the AP on the case and did not respond to a request for reports or possible body-camera footage of their interactions with Card.

“This is an active investigation, and the New York State Police does not comment on active investigations, nor investigations in which we are not the lead agency,” it said in a statement Friday before Card was found dead. A state police spokesman refused to comment Saturday.

Jonathan Crisp, an army lawyer for two decades before starting a criminal defense practice, said when soldiers are committed involuntarily to mental health facilities by others in the chain of command, it is a “reportable” event under Army regulations that triggers a requirement to alert others. A provost marshal enters the incident into a military database that puts the FBI on notice so it can enter the name into a background list of people prevented from buying weapons.

“If they took him and he didn’t want to go and he refused to be admitted, it’s a slam dunk,” Crisp said. “This should have been reported.”

But Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said in news conference Saturday that while Card had a history of mental illness, there was no evidence that he had ever been involuntarily committed.

“Just because there appears to be a mental health nexus to this scenario, the vast majority of people with mental health diagnosis will never hurt anybody,” Sauschuck said.

Jody Madeira, an Indiana University law professor who has studied gun laws, said police in one state can alert counterparts in another state that someone is a danger, and the military can do the same with local police.

She said someone dropped the ball because Card’s threats and medical evaluation should have triggered a yellow flag seizure of his guns when he returned home.

“He slipped through the cracks,” Madeira said. “There were warning signs.”

___

Condon and Mustian reported from New York. AP reporter Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine, and news researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed.

___

Contact AP’s global investigative team at Investigative@ap.org.

Authorities lifted their shelter in place order Friday evening, nearly 48 hours after the shootings.

The names and pictures of the 16 males and 2 females who died were released as State Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck asked for a moment of silence at a news conference. Their ages ranged from 14 to 76.

Law enforcement officials said they have not seen suspect Robert Card since his vehicle was left at a boat ramp Wednesday shortly after the shootings. Sauschuck didn’t say if they have any indication if Card is alive or dead, only that investigators are leaving all their options open.

“We’re going to be all over the place,” Sauschuck said. “That’s not saying that we know that the individual is in this house, you know, in that house or they’re in that swath of land, this acreage.”

Authorities say Card, 40, who has firearms training, opened fire at the bar and a bowling alley Wednesday in Lewiston, Maine’s second-largest city.

Police and other law enforcement officers were spotted in several areas around the region on Friday. Divers searched the water near a boat launch in Lisbon, and a farming business in the same town. At points throughout the day, police vehicles were seen speeding through several towns, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

A gun was found in Card’s car, which was discovered at a boat ramp, and federal agents were testing it to determine if it was used in the shooting, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. Authorities have said publicly that the shooter used at least one rifle. They have not released any other details, including how the suspect obtained the firearm.

Authorities found a suicide note at a home associated with Card on Thursday that was addressed to his son, the law enforcement officials said. They said it didn’t provide any specific motive for the shooting. Authorities also recovered Card’s cellphone in the home, making a search more complicated because authorities routinely use phones to track suspects, the officials said.

Federal agents conducted several searches of properties associated with Card on Thursday, collecting a number of items, including electronics, the officials said. Investigators are also analyzing Card’s financial information and reviewing his social media posts, writings and his mental health history, they said.

The Cards have lived in Bowdoin for generations, neighbors said, and various members of the family own hundreds of acres in the area. The family owned the local sawmill and years ago donated the land for a local church.

“This is his stomping ground,” Richard Goddard, who lives on the road where a search took place on Thursday, said of the suspect. “He knows every ledge to hide behind, every thicket.”

Family members of Card told federal investigators that he had recently discussed hearing voices and became more focused on the bowling alley and bar, according to the law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. When he was hospitalized in July in New York, Card had told military officials he had been hearing voices and said he wanted to harm other soldiers, the officials said.

Police said Thursday that Card would be charged with 18 counts of murder.

The victims of the shootings include Bob Violette, 76, a retiree who was coaching a youth bowling league and was described as devoted, approachable and kind. Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker told news outlets that his son, Joe, a manager at the bar and grill, died going after the shooter with a butcher knife. Peyton Brewer-Ross was a dedicated pipefitter at Bath Iron Works whose death leaves a gaping void in the lives of his partner, young daughter and friends, members of his union said.

The manager of the youth bowling league vowed that the league would survive despite the devastating grief members were feeling.

The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf said the shootings killed at least four members of their community, many of whom were ardent advocates for the deaf and hard of hearing.

The attacks stunned a state of only 1.3 million people that has one of the country’s lowest homicide rates: 29 killings in all of 2022. Gov. Janet Mills said Friday that many Maine residents will know someone who died.

“It is often said that our state is ‘one big, small town’ because Maine is such a close-knit community. As a result, many of us know the victims personally, including me,” she said in a statement. “Tonight, I ask Maine people to join me in reading their stories, learning who they were, celebrating them as beloved people, and mourning them as irreplaceable.”

While the shelter in place order was lifted, authorities did ban hunting in Lewiston and three nearby towns on Saturday, which is “Maine Resident Only Day” and serves as the kickoff to the busiest stretch of the state’s popular deer hunting season.

Sauschuck asked residents around the state to use their common sense when they heard gunshots and not assume it was part of the search for Card. He also explained the rationale for lifting the shelter in place order.

“We have communities locked down, shut down. We knew going in and acknowledged it repeatedly that can have a negative impact on people,” Sauschuck, noting the order’s impact on keeping residents away from clinics or their doctors.

Schools, public buildings and many businesses remained closed Friday. Bates College in Lewiston canceled classes and postponed the inauguration of the school’s first Black president.

The shootings mark the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

___

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire, Whittle from Portland, Maine, and Smith from Bowdoin, Maine. Associated Press journalists Jake Bleiberg in Portland; Robert Bukaty and Robert Bumsted in Lewiston; David R. Martin in Bowdoin; Michael Balsamo in New York; Darlene Superville and Lolita Baldor in Washington, D.C.; Michael Casey in Boston; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York contributed to this report.

READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card

Robert Card, 40, remained on the run Friday more than a day after investigators said he allegedly opened fire at a bowling alley and at a restaurant, killing 18 people. 

Speaking to CNN, law enforcement officials said a working theory on a possible motive behind the massacre now suggests Card may have targeted the two locations because he thought his ex-girlfriend might be there. The pair recently broke up. While they were together, they reportedly frequented the bowling alley and the restaurant. 

Law enforcement officials also said there appeared to be some planning done before Wednesday’s attack, adding Card’s skills as an outdoorsman combined with his military history have made the current search more challenging and dangerous.

Authorities identified Card first as a person of interest and later as a suspect.

As the massive manhunt for Card continued Thursday, the scene was tense in Bowdoin, Maine where Card’s family has lived for generations. 

Asked if he was worried about his safety, Richard Goddard responded: “Absolutely.”

“I don’t know why he took it out on the people he took it out on and I don’t know what’s stopping him from taking it out on whoever else he’s going to take it out on,” Goddard said.

Card’s military record shows he spent the past 21 years in the Army Reserves, serving as a sergeant who was a petroleum supply specialist. Among his accomplishments, he was awarded a humanitarian service medal.

The Associated Press reports superiors called in state police in July after they became concerned about Card’s behavior while training at West Point in New York.  The AP said troopers brought Card to a military hospital for a mental health evaluation.  

Authorities searched several locations in Bowdoin on Thursday.

On Friday morning, law enforcement activity was ramping up near a boat ramp in neighboring Lisbon where authorities said Card’s car was found after the shootings.

Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck in a briefing said crews would be searching on land and in the water using divers, aerial assets and SONAR equipment in the area.

Sauschuck said authorities would also be following up on additional leads and continuing efforts to process the crime scenes at the actual shooting locations. 

Sauschuck said law enforcement will continue its 24/7 search for Card and promised to continue to provide regular updates about the status of the investigation.

‘He’s in his own backyard,’ former FBI senior official says

Former FBI Senior Official Katherine Schweit told CNN “a very, very small number of these types of shooters, these active shooters, go on the lam.” 

“He’s in his own backyard and we’re coming into his backyard to try to find him in a game of hide and seek,” Schweit said. “He knows what he’s looking for and where he’s going to and he has a plan and law enforcement has to follow those trails wherever they can find him.”

Law enforcement sources overnight Thursday into Friday said a gun was found in Card’s car, which was abandoned at a boat ramp in Lisbon.

Investigators said they also recovered Card’s cell phone and a note as part of their investigation. It was not immediately clear where authorities recovered such items.

Among search efforts Friday morning, the Coast Guard was searching for a missing boat belonging to Card. 

Roadblocks and a shelter-in-place advisory remained in place in and around Lewiston, with a heavy law enforcement presence lingering throughout the region. 

The shelter-in-place status was later rescinded.

READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card

Investigators said 40-year-old Robert Card allegedly first targeted a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine before targeting a restaurant in town around 7 p.m. Wednesday. 

Officials said seven people were killed at the bowling alley, Just-In-Time Recreation. Eight people died at the restaurant, Schemengees Bar and Grille. Three other people died after being taken to area hospitals. 

As Card remained at large Friday, authorities announced all 18 victims had been identified. Their ages ranged from 14 to 76. 

Joseph Walker was the manager at Schemengees Bar and Grille. His father said he died trying to stop the gunman after grabbing a knife from behind the bar.

“He picked up a butcher’s knife and went after the gunman to try and stop him from other people,” Leroy Walker Sr. said. “And that’s when he shot my son to death. Trying to save some more lives, he ended up losing his life.”

Bryan MacFarlane, 49, spent many of his Wednesdays at Schemengees, and was participating in a cornhole tournament for the deaf community when he was shot and killed.

Bobbi Nichols, a witness to the shooting, said her sister, Tricia Asselin worked part-time at the bowling alley. Nichols said she was bowling with Asselin and described nearly being trampled trying to run away. Her sister did not make it out.

“We heard a big bang,” she recalled. “I wasn’t sure what it was until I heard another shot and then I knew, I couldn’t see her, and everybody was running.”

Laurie Ford lives down the street from Schemengees. Among the dead are three people she has got to know well over the years, including a former coworker — Bill Brackett. 

“He seemed very sweet, very nice guy,” Ford said. “I’ve seen him many times. It will be hard to go to work and know that he won’t be there anymore.”

Police on Friday released more names of those killed, including Joshua Seal, a well-known sign language interpreter. 

Maxx Hathaway was a father of two. 

Ron Morin was in Schemengees when he was gunned down. For those who frequent the popular watering hole, the shock was still strong. 

“It’s just hard to believe because we go there,” said Tom DuPont, who lives nearby. “We could have been sitting there and it’s just there but for the grace of God.”

Peyton Brewer-Ross is another one of the 18 confirmed victims. He worked at Bath Iron Works, which posted on Facebook Thursday, calling him “a valuable part of our team.”

“All of us at Bath Iron Works are heartbroken to share that we have lost a member of our BIW family,” the company said. 

In Lewiston Friday, Craig Williams drove more than an hour to honor lives lost. 

“I just wanted to drop off some candles, show my sentiment and let them know Lewiston is still strong despite the fact,” he said.

As community members mourn, some survivors are being hailed as heroes. Among them, Tom Giberti works at the bowling alley. His nephew on Facebook said Giberti was shot several times trying to shield six children who were bowling. 

One of the children in the bowling alley was a 10-year-old girl. She shared her story with ABC’s Good Morning America. 

“It’s just shocking,” said Zoey Levesque. “It’s something that you would think would never happen…I never thought I would grow up and get a bullet in my leg.”

Levesque said she was worried whether she would make it out of the bowling alley. 

“Why?” she said. “Why do people do this?”

Just-In-Time Recreation issued a statement after Wednesday’s shooting saying, “None of this seems real, but unfortunately it is.” 

“We are devastated for our community and our staff,” the statement continued. “We lost some amazing and wholehearted people from our bowling community last night. There are no words to fix this or make it better.” 

“My heart is crushed,” the owner of Schemengees said in a statement. “I am at a loss for words. In a split second your world gets turned upside down for no good reason.” 

“We lost great people in this community,” the owner continued. “How can we make any sense of this? Sending out prayers to everyone.

People in Lewiston speaking with 7NEWS said the community is one where everybody knows everybody. The ripple effects of this week’s shootings, as a result, will be felt for a long time.

READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card

All of the deceased have been identified, and they ranged in age from 14 to 76, according to a spokesperson for the state medical examiner’s office. Their names were not released.

Nearly two days after the shooting, law enforcement officials gave no indication that they have any leads on Robert Card’s whereabouts. During a lengthy news conference absent of any major developments, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck would only say that authorities are leaving all their options open.

“We’re going to be all over the place,” Sauschuck said. “That’s not saying that we know that the individual is in this house, you know, in that house or they’re in that swath of land, this acreage.”

—

WATCH: Officials give update on search for suspected gunman in Lewiston, Maine mass shooting

—

Police and other law enforcement officers were spotted in several areas around the region on Friday. Divers searched the water near a boat launch in Lisbon, and a farming business in the same town. At points throughout the day, police vehicles were seen speeding past, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

A gun was found in Card’s car, which was found at a boat ramp, and federal agents were testing it to determine if it was used in the shooting, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity. Authorities have said publicly that the shooter used at least one rifle. They have not released any other details, including how the suspect obtained the firearm.

Sauschuck said Friday that authorities were going to conduct extensive searches of the nearby Androscoggin River by air and boat, and that a utility was using its dams to lower the river in the area, but he made it clear that would not be their only area of focus.

Authorities found a suicide note at a home associated with Card on Thursday that was addressed to his son, the law enforcement officials said. They said it didn’t provide any specific motive for the shooting. Authorities also recovered Card’s cellphone in the home, making a search more complicated because authorities routinely use phones to track suspects, the officials said.

Federal agents conducted several searches of properties associated with Card on Thursday, collecting a number of items, including electronics, the officials said. Investigators are also analyzing Card’s financial information and reviewing his social media posts, writings and his mental health history, they said.

The Cards have lived in Bowdoin for generations, neighbors said, and various members of the family own hundreds of acres in the area. The family owned the local sawmill and years ago donated the land for a local church.

“This is his stomping ground,” Richard Goddard, who lives on the road where a search took place on Thursday, said of the suspect. “He knows every ledge to hide behind, every thicket.”

Authorities say Card, 40, who has firearms training, opened fire at a bar and a bowling alley Wednesday in Lewiston, Maine’s second-largest city about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from Bowdoin.

Family members of Card told federal investigators that he had recently discussed hearing voices and became more focused on the bowling alley and bar, according to the law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. When he was hospitalized in July in New York, Card had told military officials he had been hearing voices and said he wanted to harm other soldiers, the officials said.

A neighbor, Dave Letarte, said Card’s family let them deer hunt on their property and were kind, although Letarte said he noticed Card appeared to have mental problems for a while.

“People have problems, but you don’t expect them to go off the deep end like that,” Letarte said. “When we saw it on the news last night, I was shocked.”

A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service. A woman who answered a phone number for one of Card’s relatives on Thursday afternoon said the family was helping the FBI. She didn’t give her name or additional details.

Wednesday’s shootings left 18 people dead and 13 wounded, three of whom were hospitalized in critical condition, authorities said. Card will be charged with 18 counts of murder once all the victims are identified, authorities said.

The victims of the shootings include Bob Violette, 76, a retiree who was coaching a youth bowling league and was described as devoted, approachable and kind. Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker told news outlets that his son, Joe, a manager at the bar and grill, died going after the shooter with a butcher knife. Peyton Brewer-Ross was a dedicated pipefitter at Bath Iron Works whose death leaves a gaping void in the lives of his partner, young daughter and friends, members of his union said.

The manager of the youth bowling league vowed that the league would survive despite the devastating grief members were feeling.

Police asked residents to continue to stay home in Lewiston and surrounding communities Friday. Schools, public buildings and many businesses remained closed. Bates College in Lewiston canceled classes Friday and postponed the inauguration of the school’s first Black president.

In nearby Sabattus, cashiers at a gas station told their customers to “have a good day and go home.”

Authorities acknowledged the difficulty of having residents stay home a second day, but Lewiston Police Chief David St. Pierre asked for patience and promised that they were constantly evaluating the request.

The attacks stunned a state of only 1.3 million people that has one of the country’s lowest homicide rates: 29 killings in all of 2022.

Police were sorting through at least 530 tips since the shootings. Crime scene technicians were still gathering evidence at the bar and bowling alley. Dozens of officers spent Thursday at Card family land. After several hours they left with state police saying it was unclear whether the suspect had ever been at the location.

At Friday’s briefing, Sauschuck refused to say how long it took police to arrive at the bowling alley and bar after the shootings were reported or whether investigators have any idea of where Card might be or if he is still alive.

“We want to make sure that we bring this individual into custody but we got to do it right,” Sauschuck said.

In many past U.S. mass shootings, the suspect was found — whether dead or alive — within minutes.

The shootings mark the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

Anyone with information is asked to immediately call authorities at 207-213-9526 or 207-509-9002. 

There is also a crisis lifeline available 24/7 at 988 for anyone who needs help.

In an update on Friday, the FBI’s Boston field office said Maine State Police and Lewiston police are asking anyone with photos or videos “relevant to the shootings in Lewiston” to submit them via the new digital media tipline. The tipline is available at the link here.

READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card

Jared Golden, a Democrat, represents Maine’s Second Congressional District. He was in Lewiston on Thursday, himself grappling with his previous position on gun control. 

“I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war like the assault rifle he used to carry out this crime,” Golden said. “The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure.”

Maine Governor Janet Mills said the shootings at a Lewiston restaurant and bowling alley killed at least 18 people. More than a dozen other people were injured. 

Authorities identified 40-year-old Robert Card first as a person of interest and later as a suspect in the shooting. Card remained at large as of Thursday afternoon as law enforcement from numerous agencies searched for him. 

Golden addressed the situation in Lewiston in an initial statement on X Wednesday. In a later post Thursday afternoon, Golden said he was returning home to see his family before joining state and local officials at a briefing. 

“I ask for forgiveness and support as I seek to put an end to these shootings,” Golden told reporters. 

Investigators have shared photos of a gunman in connection with the shootings. Investigators said the photos show Card holding a high-powered rifle that he allegedly used in the attacks.

Speaking with 7NEWS, Stop Handgun Violence Co-Founder John Rosenthal said this incident “was absolutely preventable.”

“But, in Maine, they don’t have the tools to prevent it,” he continued. 

Stop Handgun Violence is a Massachusetts advocacy group. According to the group, Maine does not ban high-capacity guns or require background checks or permits to buy and carry such a weapon.

“Maine is one of the worst offenders,” Rosenthal said. “There are virtually no gun laws in Maine.” 

Unlike Massachusetts, Maine does not have a “Red Flag Law,” which allows a judge to temporarily take a person’s guns away if family members report that they pose a risk to themselves or others. 

While Maine lacks Red Flag legislation, Massachusetts lawmakers recently voted to strengthen the state’s law. 

“Now, we’re adding mental health professionals, police, school officials because these are all folks that actually, in many cases, know more about the people than the people that you live with,” Rosenthal said. 

Investigators said Card allegedly first targeted the bowling alley in Lewiston before moving to the restaurant around 7 p.m. 

Card is believed to be familiar with weapons as military officials said he enlisted with the Army in December of 2002. He is now in the reserves. 

According to the Associated Press, superiors previously called in state police in July after they became concerned about Card’s behavior while training at West Point in New York. The AP said troopers brought Card to a military hospital for a mental health evaluation.  

“We know this army-trained, sharpshooter up in Maine was in a mental health institution,” Rosenthal said. “But there was no background check required, so where are you going to even find that information?”

Gun control advocates in Maine were organizing on Thursday as they call for stronger measures to prevent gun violence.

READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card

“Right now we’re not able to make any identifications or any assumptions,” Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police’s criminal division, said during an afternoon press conference. No arrests have been made, he said.

“We are treating it as a homicide,” he said. Police expect to get a cause and manner of the deaths as well as identities of the victims on Thursday, after the medical examiner processes the bodies, Trudeau said.

Jahim Solomon of Pittsfield and Eric White of Chicopee disappeared under “suspicious circumstances” while traveling through several communities, state police said Saturday. They were reported missing on Oct. 15 after falling out of touch with their families for several days, authorities said. They’d previously been in Burlington, Lowell, Morrisville and Stowe, officials said.

Trudeau said Wednesday that he couldn’t speculate on the identities of the bodies because police are not exactly sure who they are yet, but said they are certain that this is an isolated incident.

“Part of the investigation led us to this area and it was an expansive search that came across both of them,” he said. The bodies were found just under a mile apart, Trudeau said.

Police have a number of suspects and people of interest in mind, Trudeau said.

“This is kind of case that involves quite a number of people from the northern Vermont area. … It’s been complicated to actually get a true story or account from many of the people that we’ve spoken to,” Trudeau said. “There’s also been a number of people that we’re looking for as part of our interview process who we haven’t been able to locate probably because they either fled or they’re just difficult to find.”

Investigators said 40-year-old Robert Card allegedly first targeted a bowling alley in Lewiston before targeting a restaurant also in town around 7 p.m. Maine’s governor on Thursday morning said at least 18 people were killed. Thirteen people were injured. 

The Maine State Police asked residents in Lewiston and nearby Lisbon to shelter in place Wednesday night. Near 6:15 a.m. Thursday, state police expanded the shelter-in-place advisory to Bowdoin, Maine.

“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,” state police said.

In Lisbon, authorities said they found Card’s car abandoned at a local boat ramp on Wednesday night.

“It’s beyond comprehension, really,” said concerned resident Doug Pickard as heavily-armed tactical units scrambled from call to call Thursday. “I don’t understand how someone could do something like this.”

Route 196 in Lisbon near the site where Card’s car was found was closed for much of the day Thursday. It had reopened as of around 4 p.m.

Asked at one point if he believed Card was still alive and on the run, Lisbon Police Chief Ryan McGee responded. 

“Every option is open and we’re going to investigate this until we locate him,” McGee said.

In Lewiston, Maine Governor Janet Mills said Wednesday’s attack “strikes at the very heart of who we are and the values we hold dear for this precious place we call home.”

Law enforcement said Card recently reported mental health issues, including hearing voices. Card, a U.S. Army reservist, also once threatened to shoot up a National Guard base, according to officials. 

Officials have described Card as “armed and dangerous” and warned community members to not approach him.

Law enforcement executes search warrants in Bowdoin

After a busy day across several communities, heavily-armed law enforcement personnel were on scene at the home of Card’s father in Bowdoin Thursday night. 

Lights were seen shining on the farmhouse, which is surrounded by fields and beef cows. A helicopter was circling overhead and authorities were seen operating drones.

Officials could be heard making orders over a loudspeaker. 

“Robert Card, we know you’re in there,” officials said at one point. 

Maine State Police on X said officials were in the area of Meadow Road to execute several search warrants. Police continued, saying announcements heard over a loudspeaker “are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved.”

Earlier in the day, law enforcement was also heard setting off flash bang grenades at a different property. Authorities also broadcasted loudspeaker commands.

“It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search,” police said. “Law enforcement officials are simply doing their due diligence by tracking down every lead in an effort to locate and apprehend Card.”

News cameras captured a convoy of law enforcement vehicles, including multiple armored vehicles, moving into the Meadow Road area after sunset Thursday. 

Police later cleared the scene moments before 9 p.m.

Neighbors said Card grew up at the house where his father now lives. Thursday night, after police had largely left the area, a man with a beard believed to be Card’s father approached police still on scene and complained his fence had been cut.

Shootings draw law enforcement response from across region

Hundreds of state, local and federal law enforcement officers responded to Maine after shots rang out Wednesday night, including personnel from the FBI’s Boston Division. 

In addition to local FBI officials, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives’ Boston Field Division said its agents were responding to Maine.

Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Dave Procopio in a statement said the state police Commonwealth Fusion Center “continues to be in regular contact with its Maine counterpart in regard to the Lewiston shootings and fugitive suspect Robert Card.” 

Procopio said state police Colonel John Mawn had also been in contact with officials in Maine and other New England states “to assess and coordinate capabilities for providing mutual aid to the Maine State Police.” 

“The full complement of Massachusetts State Police assets stand ready for deployment if requested, as necessitated by the evolving investigation and fugitive apprehension mission,” Procopio said.

As of around 12:40 p.m. Thursday, Procopio said a state trooper assigned to the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad and his K9 partner had responded to the Lewiston area as part of an ATF task force. 

Locally, Procopio said state police deployed patrols along the Massachusetts/New Hampshire state line Wednesday night “to be on the lookout for the suspect’s white Subaru” before authorities found the car in Lisbon.

Municipal police from Massachusetts were also spotted at work in Maine Thursday, including officers from Melrose and Salem.

‘Nerves are rattled right now,’ resident says

Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck on Wednesday described Card as a person of interest in the investigation. On Thursday, Sauschuck said multiple arrest warrants for the charge of murder were issued for Card. 

“Nerves are rattled right now,” said one resident in Lisbon. “Keeping an eye on the woods.”

Sarah Barker said it had been a nerve wracking 24 hours.

“Honestly, I never pictured doing this,” she said. “You always think it’s not going to happen here.”

Lisbon is located next to Lewiston. Bowdoin, in turn, is located next to Lisbon.

“Our community is our biggest supporter,” said McGee, the Lisbon police chief. “So, we’re very transparent here at the PD. Our community is very transparent with us. They call us and that’s how we solve things.”

Officials have established tip lines to receive information related to their investigation.

McGee said he expects there will be a decision on Friday morning whether to extend the shelter in place advisory still in effect for area communities.

READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card

Authorities identified Robert Card first as a person of interest and later as a suspect in the hours after investigators said he allegedly opened fire in Lewiston Wednesday night. 

Maine’s governor said at least 18 people were killed, with more than a dozen others injured. As a massive manhunt for Card continued Thursday, the scene was tense in Bowdoin, Maine where Card’s family has lived for generations. 

Asked if he was worried about his safety, Richard Goddard responded: “Absolutely.”

“I don’t know why he took it out on the people he took it out on and I don’t know what’s stopping him from taking it out on whoever else he’s going to take it out on,” Goddard said.

Like many Maine residents, Goddard owns guns. He said he knew Card was in the Army but said he had not seen him around town much until recently when he and his father were out cutting hay in a field across the street from Goddard’s house.

“This is where he grew up,” Goddard said. “He knows these woods. He knows everything.”

“I don’t know what his motives are,” Goddard continued. “I don’t know what’s going on in his head. Obviously he’s in some kind of a crisis which is really scary because who knows what’s going on and there’s no doubt in my mind he’s probably still around here.” 

The 40-year-old Card’s military record shows he spent the past 21 years in the Army Reserves, serving as a sergeant who was a petroleum supply specialist. Among his accomplishments, he was awarded a humanitarian service medal.

The Associated Press, though, reports that superiors also called in state police in July after they became concerned about Card’s behavior while training at West Point in New York.  The AP said troopers brought Card to a military hospital for a mental health evaluation.  

“I think it’s really sad that our veterans are not getting the care that they need,” Goddard said.

SKY7-HD was over one scene on West Road in West Bowdoin Thursday where FBI agents and police officers appeared to be focusing on a residence. 

7NEWS reviewed county property records showing a 40-year-old Robert Card II owned the house until three years ago when it was sold. On Thursday, a broken window was visible at the home. 

Chris Crosman, who lives near Card’s father’s home, said he hired Card to do some work on his daughter’s house and said he was a nice guy who liked guns. 

The man continued, saying liking guns is not uncommon in Maine. 

“Let’s face it,” said Chris Crosman. “He’s farm people. And all farm people have guns.”

As of around 5 p.m., there was a police roadblock in place on West Road in Bowdoin. 

Heavy police activity was spotted in the area, with tactical teams seen on site.

Authorities at one location in Bowdoin were heard setting off flash bang grenades at one point Thursday. Authorities were also broadcasting messages over a loudspeaker ordering someone out of a home.

Elsewhere in Bowdoin, law enforcement units surrounded Card’s father’s home after sunset. Authorities broadcast additional messages. A helicopter was circling overhead and authorities were seen operating drones.

State police confirmed law enforcement personnel were executing search warrants on Meadow Road where Card’s father’s home is located.

“The announcements being heard over a loud speaker are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved,” police said. “It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search.”

Authorities eventually cleared the scene shortly before 9 p.m.

No further information was immediately available about law enforcement activity at properties in Bowdoin linked to Card.

READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card

As of 5 p.m., officials said three patients are still in critical condition and called the influx of patients unprecedented.

“Maine Medical Center has alerted on-call staff and created critical care and operating room capacity in anticipation of potential patient transports coming from the Lewiston shooting this evening,” the hospital said in a statement overnight.

At Central Maine Hospital, heavily armed officers could be seen guarding the entrances as gunshot victims were being treated inside. Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, officers could be seen clearing the hospital’s garage with guns drawn before returning to the building.

The hospital is located near the bowling alley and bar where the two mass shootings occurred and in a statement confirmed it was handling a mass casualty incident.

A mother of one of the victims shot spoke with 7NEWS, describing how she was waiting to hear about her 23-year-old son’s condition.

Speaking over the phone, she said doctors told her that her son was lucky to be alive and that he had been intubated with two bullets still inside of him, but that he was in stable condition and would need a blood transfusion.

She said her son was not supposed to still be in the area when the shootings began, but that he had been celebrating the purchase of his first home Wednesday at the time.

As of Thursday morning, officials said at least 18 people were killed in the mass shootings in Lewiston, and that 13 were injured.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to call officials at 207-213-9526 or 207-509-9002.

READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card

This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

“You need to come outside now with nothing in your hands. Your hands in the air,” police shouted through a megaphone outside the home owned by suspect Robert Card’s relative near the town of Bowdoin.

Dozens of law enforcement officials had descended on the property, with extended announcements calling for Card and anyone in the home to come out into the driveway. In most instances when police execute warrants — even for suspects wanted for violent crimes — they move quickly to enter the home.

“The announcements that are being heard over a loudspeaker are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved,” state police spokesperson Shannon Moss said. “It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search.”

Hundreds of law enforcement agents, including dozens of FBI agents, have been hunting for Card, a 40-year-old reservist with a history of mental health issues, since Wednesday night’s shootings at a bowling alley and a bar that sent panicked patrons scrambling under tables and behind bowling pins and gripped the entire state of Maine in fear.

Schools, doctor’s offices and grocery stores closed and people stayed behind locked doors in cities as far away as 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the scenes of Wednesday night’s shootings in Lewiston.

President Joe Biden ordered all U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff as condolences poured in from around the nation and at home, including from Maine native and author Stephen King, who called it “madness.” The attacks stunned a state of only 1.3 million people that has one of the country’s lowest homicide rates: 29 killings in all of 2022.

Card is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached, authorities said at a news conference. Card underwent a mental health evaluation in mid-July after he began acting erratically while with his reserve regiment, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.

Earlier, police had not said if they have seen Card since the shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Just-In-Time Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles (6 kilometers) away. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect walking into the bowling alley with a rifle raised to his shoulder.

Investigators also haven’t said what weapon or weapons Card used in the shootings or how he obtained them.

Several FBI agents and other heavily armed officers gathered Thursday afternoon off a road where several relatives of Card lived near Bowdoin. A military-style vehicle and a white van arrived as a helicopter hovered overhead and someone repeatedly yelled, “FBI! Open the door!” Several loud bangs were heard a short time later. Nearby, several police officers armed with rifles stood on alert in the back of a pickup truck.

About 80 FBI agents were in Maine looking for Card along with numerous other federal, state and local police, Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins said at an evening news conference.

A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service. A woman who answered a phone number for one of Card’s relatives said Thursday afternoon the family was helping the FBI. She didn’t give her name or additional details.

The Canada Border Services Agency issued an “armed and dangerous” alert to its officers stationed along the Canada-U.S. border.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills promised to do whatever was needed to find Card and to “hold whoever is responsible for this atrocity accountable … and to seek full justice for the victims and their families.”

“We are not, and we will not, rest in this endeavor,” she said.

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WATCH: Maine officials details search for shooting suspect after 18 killed, 13 wounded in Lewiston, Maine mass shootings

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Eight murder warrants were issued for Card, 40, after authorities identified eight of the victims, police said. Ten more will likely be issued once the names of the rest of the dead are confirmed, said Maine State Police Col. William Ross.

Three of the 13 people wounded in the shootings were in critical condition and five were hospitalized but stable, Central Maine Medical Center officials said.

The attack started at Just-In-Time Recreation, where a children’s bowling league was taking place, just before 7 p.m. Wednesday. One bowler, who identified himself only as Brandon, said he heard about 10 shots, thinking the first was a balloon popping.

“I had my back turned to the door. And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon — he was holding a weapon — I just booked it,” he told the AP.

Brandon said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery.

Less than 15 minutes after the shooting began, numerous 911 calls started coming in from Schemengees, which was offering 25% discounts to customers who work in the bar or restaurant industry.

Patrick Poulin was supposed to be at the bowling center with his 15-year-old son, who is in a league that was practicing Wednesday. They stayed home, but he estimates there were probably several dozen young bowlers, ages 4 to 18, along with their parents, in the facility. Poulin’s brother was there, he said, and shepherded some of the children outside when the shooting began.

“He’s pretty shook up,” Poulin said Thursday. “And it’s just sinking in today, like, wow, I was very close to being there. And a lot of the people that got hurt, I know.”

April Stevens lives in the same neighborhood where one of the shootings took place. She turned on all her lights overnight and locked her doors. She knew someone killed at the bar and another person injured who needed surgery.

“I’m still working because I can work from home. My husband canceled his jobs today to stay home with me. We’re praying for everyone,” Stevens said through tears.

Authorities launched a multistate search for Card on land and water. The Coast Guard sent out a patrol boat Thursday morning along the Kennebec River, but after hours of searching, they found “nothing out of the ordinary,” said Chief Petty Officer Ryan Smith, who is in charge of the Coast Guard’s Boothbay Harbor Station.

A car believed to belong to Card had been discovered by a boat launch in the town of Lisbon near the Androscoggin River, which connects to the Kennebec, and Card’s 15-foot (4.5-meter) boat remains unaccounted for, Smith said.

—

WATCH: Former FBI Agent Timothy Gallagher explains process of attempting to track down a suspect such as Robert Card

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A bulletin sent to police across the country after the attack said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this past summer after “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.

A U.S. official said Card was assigned to support training with the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment in West Point, New York, when commanders became concerned about him.

State police took Card to the Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point for evaluation, according to the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the information and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

A neighbor, Dave Letarte, said Card’s family let them deer hunt on their property and were kind, although Letarte said he noticed Card appeared to have mental problems for a while.

“People have problems, but you don’t expect them to go on the deep end like that,” Letarte said. “When we saw it on the news last night, I was shocked.”

Immediately after the shooting, police armed with rifles took positions around Lewiston, Maine’s second largest city, with a population of 37,000. The once overwhelmingly white mill community has become one of the most diverse cities in northern New England after a major influx of immigrants, mostly from Somalia, in recent years.

Schools 50 miles (80 kilometers) away in the town of Kennebunk closed as the search continued. Maine’s largest city, Portland, closed its public buildings.

In many past U.S. mass shootings, the suspect was found — whether dead or alive — within minutes. But Card was still on the loose a full day after the shootings. Lewiston was mostly empty on an unusually warm fall day. Changeable message signs reminded people to stay behind locked doors.

Art teacher Miia Zellner was one of the few people out. She came with friends to downtown Lewiston, where they hammered about 100 paper hearts into trees with the words “To My Neighbors.”

“This is just my way of showing my love and my support for the community,” she said. “I just hope that people, when they see this, get some type of positivity from it and feel some sense of hope.”

In Bates College in Lewiston, students stayed in dorms with the blinds closed, said Diana Florence, whose son is a sophomore. She has a daughter who is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which was locked down twice last month for a shooting and a man with a gun.

“I could not believe it — that this is happening again. It’s happening to my son after it just happened to my daughter,” she said in a phone interview Thursday.

The shootings mark the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

Maine doesn’t require permits to carry guns, and the state has a longstanding culture of gun ownership that is tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting. Keeping in mind the strong support for gun rights, lawmakers passed a “yellow flag” law in 2019 that would require police to seek a medical evaluation of anyone believed to be dangerous before then trying to take their guns away. However, critics charged that it was a weaker version of the tougher “red flag” laws that many other states have adopted.

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WATCH: Maine Sen. Susan Collins discusses federal response to Lewiston shooting

Colby Parker, 30, was charged with driving under the influence, second-degree reckless endangerment, risk of injury to a child, and second-degree breach of peace.

Troopers said they responded to a Price Chopper store on Storrs Road around 8:15 p.m. on Monday for the missing child report.

Parker told state police that he went into the store and left the child in his vehicle. He claimed that when he returned to his vehicle, the child wasn’t there.

That led to a search by Price Chopper employees, troopers, and members of the University of Connecticut and Coventry police departments. A reverse 911 call was also sent out to residents in the area.

Over the course of the investigation, personnel at Price Chopper reviewed the store’s surveillance footage.

They determined that Parker made two separate trips to the store on Monday night. Based on the recordings, the child was with Parker for the first trip but not the second trip.

Troopers said they arrived at the child’s home just before 9:15 p.m. The child was found there unharmed.

Once the child was found, troopers said they determined that Parker showed signs of impairment. They asked him to submit to a standard field sobriety test, which they said he failed.

They later determined that Parker was unaware that the child had not been with him when he went to the store for his second trip.

The Department of Children and Families was notified and responded. The child was turned over to the custody of a family member.

Parker was arrested and held on a $25,000 cash/surety bond.

He was transferred to the custody of the Connecticut Department of Correction and had a court arraignment scheduled for Tuesday in Rockville.

Jahim Solomon of Pittsfield and Eric White of Chicopee were reported missing on Oct. 15 after falling out of touch with their families for several days, state police said. They’d previously been in Burlington, Lowell, Morrisville and Stowe, officials said.

Vermont State Police said investigators are concerned about the well being of the pair.

Searchers spent part of a rainy Saturday searching the area around Albany and Lowell. A spokesperson on Sunday confirmed that the Vermont State Police Search & Rescue Team and New England K-9 participated in the search. The spokesperson declined to provide additional details, including why searchers focused on that area.

The man and his wife arrived at the Highgate Springs border crossing after buying nine Inuit carvings from an art gallery in Montreal, according to court papers. He told a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer that he was bringing back one stone statue from Quebec, court papers said. The officer inspected the trunk and found nine statues, including four made of ivory, the Vermont U.S. attorney’s office said.

The man, who was living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the time, admitted that the four were made from walrus tusk and Customs and Border Protection seized them. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service later determined that three of those carvings were made of sperm whale teeth and the fourth was made of walrus tusk, prosecutors said.

The 69-year-old man on Tuesday pleaded guilty in federal court in Burlington to a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully importing wildlife parts and was sentenced to a fine of $50,000. A phone message was left with his attorney, seeking comment.

Sperm whales are an endangered species and are protected under the Endangered Species Act and, like walruses, are also protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, the U.S. attorney’s office said.

Certain import and export permits are required to import parts from these protected mammals into the U.S., which the man had not obtained, prosecutors said.

Police and firefighters responded to the wreck on an exit off Interstate 84 westbound in Newtown at about 3:30 a.m. and found the truck tipped over on the driver’s side. The driver was not seriously injured, firefighters said.

Authorities summoned a state veterinarian, who decided six other cows needed to be put down. State troopers euthanized the animals at the scene, police said.

The remaining 30 cows were doing well after having been loaded onto another truck and taken to a veterinarian for evaluation, the state Department of Agriculture said.

It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the crash. State police were investigating.

The truck was transporting the cows from Maine to Ohio, state agriculture officials said. There is a 24-hour diner and gas station off Exit 10, which has a ramp with a sharp curve.

State police closed the westbound side of the highway for several hours.

Witnesses said they could hear explosions and popping sounds coming from the area.

Video from the scene showed firefighters using a ladder truck to douse the flames.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No additional information was immediately available.

This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

The main mast of the schooner Grace Bailey splintered and fell onto the deck on Oct. 9. The collapse killed Dr. Emily Mecklenburg, 40, a physician from Rockland.

Coast Guard officials said the formal inquiry is intended to determine what led to the collapse and identify anything that can help improve maritime safety.

“As a member of a lifesaving service, I am deeply saddened by this tragedy,” said Capt. Amy Florentino, commander of Coast Guard Sector Northern New England. “The Coast Guard is committed to conducting a thorough investigation aimed at identifying causal factors that will prevent an accident like this from reoccurring.”

The owners of the vessel, the Grace Bailey Navigation Company of Rockland, have no comment on the investigation, said Nicole Jacques, a spokesperson for the company. The vessel carries tourists off the Maine coast and was returning from a four-day trip when the mast snapped late in the morning of Oct. 9.

The vessel was built in 1882. It was about a mile (1.6 kilometers) east of Rockland Harbor at the time. The schooner’s full length is 118 feet (36 meters) and it was in compliance with requirements when it underwent an annual inspection in May, Coast Guard officials have said.

The schooner was involved in three previous accidents in recent years when it was under previous ownership, Coast Guard records have shown. The Coast Guard said Monday that it sent a 47-foot (14-meter) motor lifeboat crew to assist after the mast collapse and transferred Mecklenburg to emergency medical workers, after which she was pronounced dead.

There were 33 people on board the Grace Bailey when the mast collapsed. The other three injured people, who suffered head and back injuries, were transported to hospitals afterward.

Police said the chase began late Thursday morning after multiple agencies were informed that the vehicle almost hit the warden in Lincoln. The warden had witnessed the vehicle leaving the scene of a suspected trespassing and theft at a pulp and tissue mill and the high-speed pursuit began, police said.

The pursuit ended more than 90 minutes later in Haynesville after police deployed tire deflation mats and other techniques to slow the vehicle. Police said two passengers in the car were taken into custody and charged with crimes including theft and criminal trespassing.

Police said the driver fled the scene but was quickly located and charged with numerous offenses.

It was not immediately clear if the driver and passengers had hired attorneys. The driver was transported to Aroostook County Jail and the passengers posted bail.

A newly unsealed warrant says former Glastonbury Police Officer Patrick Hemingway is believed to have targeted safes and cash registers at restaurants and businesses in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The warrant, cited in multiple news reports and released Thursday, says surveillance videos show a suspect possibly resembling the former officer.

Hemingway, 37, was charged last month with computer crimes and making a false statement. A judge at his arraignment said more charges were expected.

In one surveillance video, a tall male wearing a mask, gloves and a hooded sweatshirt is seen holding a flashlight “in a tactical manner.” The suspect is also holding “a coiled, corded object to his left ear” that resembles the portable police radios used by the Glastonbury Police Department, the warrant said.

“Lock-picking tools” were used in some of the burglaries, according to the warrant. Hemingway left behind a bag that included a lock-picking tool kit when he resigned Sept. 1 from the Glastonbury Police Department, the warrant said. Cell phone data and images of a vehicle resembling one owned by Hemingway’s wife and spotted at multiple break-ins are also cited in the warrant.

As the burglary part of the investigation continues, Hemmingway is being held on a $1 million bond. His lawyer argued in court that the bond was too high.

“I’ve seen murder cases where the bond is that high,” James E. Sulick said.

“I want to withhold any comment until I’ve had a chance to review things with my client,” Sulick said Saturday. “And I just haven’t been able to do that yet.”

Hemingway was initially arrested as a fugitive from justice on Sept. 22 at a New Jersey airport where Sulick said he was studying to become a commercial pilot. He was extradited to Connecticut. The warrant for the computer crime, signed when Hemingway was in New Jersey, stems from allegations he misused a police database 80 times. According to the warrant, Sulick made 28 queries about his own vehicle from Feb. 26, 2019, as well as 19 queries about his wife’s vehicle from April 11, 2022 to Aug. 23, plus other queries.

“A possible explanation for Patrick running such information so frequently would have been to determine if he was being investigated by police,” the warrant said.

Last month, the Glastonbury Police Department issued a news release saying they had been alerted to the possibility that a former officer was a person of interest in a recent burglary and had contacted the Connecticut State Police Major Crimes unit because the investigation involved multiple jurisdictions. The officer was not named and the department said it would not comment further.

The composite sketch was made public Wednesday afternoon and is based on witnesses’ accounts of a man they saw on the trail before they came across the body of Honoree Fleming, 77, police said. Fleming died of a gunshot wound to the head while walking along the trail on the afternoon of Oct. 5, about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) south of the Vermont State University Castleton Campus.

Detectives have been pursuing leads in response to the tips, state police said.

At the university, senior Kiki Valentino said she’s heard some students say the sketch could look like anyone on campus but that the increase in tips is helping to alleviate students’ fears.

“People are … more kind of at ease since there are more tips that they’re going to find him,” Valentino said.

The person of interest is described as a 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) white male in his 20s with short, red hair. He was wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack and is considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Witnesses reported that the man was acting odd, and more than one person observed him, Capt. Scott Dunlap, commander of the Vermont State Police major crime unit, said Wednesday. He also said police did not know if the shooting was random or targeted and advised the public to remain vigilant.

The crime has shaken the small college town of Castleton as police warn the public to remain vigilant and said they don’t yet know if the shooting was random or targeted.

The composite sketch was created from witnesses’ accounts of a man they saw on the trail before they came across Honoree Fleming’s body, said Capt. Scott Dunlap, commander of the Vermont State Police major crime unit. Fleming died of a gunshot wound to the head while walking along the trail that follows a former railroad bed, police said.

The man was described as 5-foot-10 (1.78-meter) white male with short, red hair, who appeared to be in his 20s. He was wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack, and is considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Witnesses reported that the man was acting odd, Dunlap said, but he would not elaborate. More than one person observed the man but Dunlap would not say how many.

“A person of interest, a suspect, it’s definitely somebody we want to talk to,” he said.

Students and residents in Castleton were being told to lock their doors and stick together as police have been searching for the killer.

“Just be vigilant and you know if you see something say something. Please report it,” Dunlap said Wednesday.

Amelia Harrison, a university student who works at a pizza shop and a restaurant in town, said she sometimes gets out at 11 p.m. and looks around while she’s walking to her car, locking it immediately once she’s inside since the shooting. She said she’s surprised how long it’s taking to make an arrest.

“I thought it would be an overnight thing especially because it’s such a small town,” she said Wednesday.

Fleming was a retired dean and professor of education at what was called Castleton State College and is now the Vermont State University Castleton Campus. She was found shot to death Thursday afternoon about a mile (1.61 kilometers) south of campus.

Police spokesman Dunlap said Wednesday that police still don’t know if the shooting was random or targeted.

Castleton, in west-central Vermont, is about 5 miles east of the Vermont-New York border in an area known for scenic mountain views and slate and marble quarries. The university, founded in 1787 was closed last week for fall break. Students were excused from classes when it reopened Monday, and classes resumed Tuesday.

Robert Withington, 57, went to Bridgeport Superior Court for a scheduled court hearing, and a state prosecutor informed Withington’s lawyer the felony larceny charge was being dropped.

Withington found the bank bag containing $4,761 on May 30 outside a bank in his hometown of Trumbull, near Bridgeport. It turned out the money belonged to the Trumbull tax collector’s office, and a town employee had dropped the bag while walking to the bank to deposit the money, police said.

Police said the bag had the bank’s name on the outside, and there were deposit slips inside indicating the money belonged to the town, authorities said. A police officer had escorted the town employee to the bank, but neither one noticed the bag being dropped, police said.

Withington, a dog trainer, happened to be near the bank at the time, picked up the bag and drove off, police said. He was identified through surveillance video, according to an arrest warrant. He was arrested on Aug. 25.

Before Wednesday’s court appearance, Withington had given the town attorney a bank-certified check in the amount of the missing money.

Withington continues to believe he did not do anything wrong, and blames the town employee for dropping the bag in the first place.

“They dropped the money. Someone from the town should be fired for being so irresponsible,” Withington said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. “But I did nothing wrong. I just found a money bag. It was just a big joke. They wasted my time. They slandered my name. It was very upsetting.”

When asked why he did not bring the money bag to the bank, Withington said the thought never entered his mind. He said he would have returned the money immediately if he knew who the owner was. He previously said the discovery was like hitting the lottery.

“I just found a bag,” he said Wednesday. “I picked it up and I got in my car and I got on with my day.”

The state prosecutors office declined to comment.

The town attorney, Daniel Schopick, said in an email that restitution was made and it was the prosecutor’s decision to drop the case.

A nearby Coast Guard vessel began evacuating the injured passengers within minutes of the mast’s catastrophic failure and collapse on the deck, which occurred while the schooner was returning from a four-day cruise, the vessel’s owner said in a statement. Thirty-three people were on board the schooner, which was about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) east of the Rockland harbor, the Coast Guard said.

One person died from injuries and three people were transported to hospitals Monday, the Rockland Fire Department said. A helicopter transported one of the injured, while the other two were transported to a local hospital, fire officials said.

Charlie Weidman, owner of Charlie’s Marine Service, was first on the scene at 10:26 a.m., shortly after the initial mayday, to find CPR was already being performed on one victim while another victim had a head injury and two others had crush and spinal injuries, said Weidman, a trained emergency medical technician who pulled alongside and went aboard to assist.

“It is an unforeseen circumstance,” Weidman said Monday afternoon. “No one trains to have a giant mast break on a schooner. Everyone acted with professionalism. Everyone was doing the best they could with the gifts that they had.”

The rescue crew returned to the Grace Bailey with two EMS personnel to retrieve the three remaining injured people. The three people were transferred to EMS at Rockland Harbor and taken to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport.

Afterward, Weidman towed the schooner to Rockland Harbor.

The Grace Bailey is part of the state’s so-called windjammer fleet, a collection of sailing vessels that take people on excursions up and down the coast. It was not known how many passengers were aboard when the mast collapsed.

“My crew and I are devastated by this morning’s accident, especially since the safety of our guests is always our biggest priority. Most importantly, we are beyond heartbroken that we lost a dear friend,” the vessel’s captain, Sam Sikkema, said in a statement.

The schooner’s operators said they had no idea why the mast failed. The Coast Guard will conduct a full investigation into the incident, they said. No names of the victims were released.

“In this time of sorrow, we offer our deepest condolences to the grieving family, and our most heartfelt wishes for a swift recovery to those harmed,” Capt. Amy Florentino, the Coast Guard Sector Northern New England commander, said in a statement. “Our investigation aims to identify causative factors that led to this tragic incident.”

The Grace Bailey had posted images on social media earlier in the trip, including an image the day before of passengers carving pumpkins on the vessel.

The Grace Bailey’s overall length is 118 feet long (36 meters) and it can carry 29 passengers, according to its official website. It was built in Long Island, New York, in 1882.

The state police said 53-year-old Craig Hudson, of Brattleboro, died in the crash Friday in Vernon, a town of about 2,000 people that borders New Hampshire and Massachusetts. His passenger, 47-year-old Shenandoah Gilbert, of Vernon, was being treated for injuries at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire.

No one was hurt on the train, which continued its route after a delay, authorities said.

Amtrak said there were 215 passengers on board train 56, which was traveling from Washington, D.C., to St. Albans, Vermont.

Further information has not been released.

A state police reconstruction team is investigating the crash, with remote assistance from Amtrak police.