At least 22 people were killed and between 50 and 60 injured in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Mainein the northern United States, reported NBC News.
“There is an active shooter in Lewiston,” Maine State Police said on social media platform currently investigating in multiple locations.”
The wave of shootings broke out in a bowling alleyaccording to ABC News, which also reported shots fired in a bar and in a distribution center of the Walmart chain of stores.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office posted two photos of a suspect on Facebook, saying he was at large. Later, there were reports that the attacker was killed, but there is still no official confirmation.
The county sheriff asked for the public’s help in identifying the photographed suspect, a bearded man in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans holding a semi-automatic rifle in a firing position.
The bearded man was wearing a brown top, blue trousers and brown shoes, and police asked anyone with information about his identity to contact them immediately.
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They also posted a photo of a white pickup truck, and asked for the public’s help in identifying the vehicle, saying its front bumper may have been painted black.
Finally, Maine State Police identified the alleged attacker on Facebook as Robert Card, 40, and described him as “armed and dangerous“.
Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston issued a statement saying it was “reacting to a mass casualty and mass shooting event” and coordinating with area hospitals to care for patients.
Police identified the shooter as Robert Card, 40, and described him as “armed and dangerous.”
Lewiston is part of Androscoggin County and is located about 56 km north of Portland, the largest city in Maine.
The Sun Journal, citing a Lewiston police spokesperson, reported shootings at three separate businesses: Sparetime Recreation, Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant and a Walmart distribution center.
President Joe Biden has been briefed and will continue to receive updates, a U.S. official in Washington said.
Janet Mills, Maine’s governor, said she was “aware and informed of a shooting in Lewiston.”
Citing several law enforcement sources, CNN reported that at least 50 or 60 people were injured in the incident, but it was not clear how many of them were injured by gunfire.
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Police and rescue teams reportedly arrived at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley at approximately 7:15 p.m. local time in response to an active shooter, and later received reports of another shooting at the Schemengees Bar & Grille, according to the local newspaper Sun Journal.
At 8:15 p.m. local time, another shooting was reported at a local Walmart distribution center.
Maine Congressman Jared Golden wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that “like all Maine citizens, I am horrified by the events in Lewison tonight. This is my birthplace.”
“Currently, we are all waiting for local police to take control of the situation and gather information. We are devastated for those who were affected,” he said.
Police identified the shooter as Robert Card, 40, and described him as “armed and dangerous.”
The gun problem in the United States
Filled with firearms, the United States has recorded more than 500 mass shootings this yearaccording to Gun Violence Archive, a non-governmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people injured or killed.
Efforts to tighten gun control in that country have clashed for years with opposition from Republicans, staunch defenders of the constitutional right to bear arms.
The political paralysis remains despite widespread outrage over the recurring shootings.
Lewiston is the second most populous city in Maine, located about 50 kilometers north of the state’s largest, Portalnd.
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