At least 18 people were killed in shootings at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, sparking a massive search for the suspect. Late Thursday, heavily armed law enforcement backed by a police helicopter had surrounded a home and told anyone who might be inside to surrender, but authorities eventually left without indicating anyone had been taken into custody. On Friday, investigators continue to work at the two shooting scenes and divers are expected to join the effort along the Androscoggin River, near where the suspect’s car was found. Follow for live updates.
WHAT TO KNOW
— Here’s what we know about the suspect and where the shooting happened.
— Family members confirmed the deaths of the shooting victims.
— Social media posts spread an incorrect photo of the Maine suspect.
— Maine passed a law to try to prevent mass shootings, but some say more is needed.
— The shooting is the 36th mass killing in the United States this year.
NOTE ADDRESSED TO SON OF MAINE MASS SHOOTING SUSPECT FOUND
Investigators found a note at a home associated with Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card on Thursday that was addressed to his son, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
The officials described it as a suicide note but said it didn’t provide any specific motive for the shooting.
Card’s cellphone had also been recovered in the home, making a search more complicated because authorities routinely use phones to track suspects, the official said.
A gun was found in the white Subaru that Card abandoned, the officials said. Federal agents were testing the gun to determine if it was used in the shooting and conducting a trace to determine when and where the gun was obtained, the officials said.
Federal agents conducted several searches of properties associated with Card on Thursday, collecting a number of items, including electronics. Investigators are also analyzing Card’s financial information and reviewing his social media posts, writings and his mental health history, the officials said.
The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
— Associated Press writer Mike Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report.
INVESTIGATORS RECEIVE MORE THAN 500 TIPS IN SEARCH FOR SHOOTING SUSPECT
Investigators in Maine have received more than 500 tips as they prepare to add river divers to the massive search for the suspect in the Lewiston mass killing.
Investigators are checking those tips off their list as they work, Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said at a news conference Friday morning.
People can expect to see investigators at the two shooting scenes — a restaurant and a bowling alley — in coming days as they process “every square inch of these facilities,” he said.
In addition to those sites, he said divers and other investigators will be searching Friday at the Androscoggin River, near where suspect Robert Card’s car was found.
“We are on 24 hours, and we will be, until the suspect in this case is brought to justice,” Sauschuck said.
Sauschuck said police were evaluating whether shelter-in-place orders for several communities need to be changed Friday.
SEARCH FOR SUSPECT IN SHOOTING PROMPTS DREAD IN MAINE
The ongoing search for Robert Card, an Army reservist who authorities say fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Maine, has prompted dread around the state.
Much of Thursday’s search focused on a large property belonging to one of Card’s relatives in rural Bowdoin, where concerned locals said Card could have the upper hand in navigating the rural, wooded area that he knows well.
In Portland, some restaurants and bars closed their doors, bringing an unusual early evening quiet to the typically bustling downtown of the state’s largest city.
One popular seafood joint posted a sign on its door saying it would remain closed while the staff awaited word on the search. Another restaurant canceled reservations Thursday “for the safety of our guests and staff.”
LEWISTON SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED FRIDAY, SUPERINTENDENT SAYS
LEWISTON, Maine — Lewiston Public Schools will be closed again on Friday, according to a post by Superintendent Jake Langlais on the district’s website.
“We remain in a shelter in place situation,” the post said. “We will not open buildings or run bus transportation.”
The superintendent said students and staff have been directly impacted by the shooting and the events since 7 p.m. Wednesday are “unimaginable.”
School officials in Maine’s largest city of Portland will decide by 5 a.m. Friday whether to open based on information received from police, according to a post on the district’s website.
Bates College in Lewiston also canceled classes Friday and postponed the inauguration of the school’s first Black president, Garry Jenkins, the school’s website said.
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