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Maine shooting: New details emerge in Robert Card's death

PHOTO: Maine Governor Janet Mills speaks at a press conference at Lewiston City Hall about the shooting suspect Robert Card being found dead, on Oct. 27, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine.
2:31
Maine manhunt over following mass shooting
By Emily Shapiro, Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin, Sasha Pezenik
Last Updated: October 26, 2023, 7:09 PM

The manhunt has ended for suspect Robert Card, who allegedly killed 18 people and injured 13 others in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday evening. Gov. Janet Mills confirmed the suspect was found dead Friday night of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Wednesday's mass shooting unfolded in two locations: a bowling alley where a children's league was taking place and a local bar, officials said.

Latest headlines:

  • Officials find letter from Maine shooting suspect
  • New details emerge in Card's death, shooting investigation
  • 'The threat is over': Lewiston police chief
  • Maine shooting suspect Robert Card found dead, sources say
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.

Pinned
Oct 27, 2023 9:28 PM

What we know about the victims

The names of the 18 people killed in Wednesday night's mass shooting in Maine were released by authorities on Friday.

The victims at the bowling alley include youth bowling coach Bob Violette and his wife Lucille Violette, as well as bowling alley manager Tommy Conrad.

PHOTO: Flags fly at half-staff on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct 26, 2023 to honor victims of the Oct. 25 mass-shooting in Lewiston Maine.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA via Shutterstock
Flags fly at half-staff on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Oct 26, 2023 to honor victims of the Oct. 25 mass-shooting in Lewiston Maine.
Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA via Shutterstock

Aaron Young, 14, and his father William "Bill" Young, 43, were also among the victims at the bowling alley, their family said.

Victims Steven Vozzella and Bill Brackett were among those killed at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant. They were a part of a gathering of deaf people playing cornhole.

-ABC News' Whitney Lloyd


Pinned
Oct 28, 2023 3:36 PM

Officials find letter from Maine shooting suspect

A note for a loved one was discovered in Robert Card's residence in which he left phone passcodes, bank account numbers and more. Investigators are working on accessing his phone and bank information through search warrants.

Police emphasized that the family has been highly cooperative. Sauschuck believes the first three individuals who positively identified the gunman based on released photos were family members.

On speculation about Card's mental health, Sauschuck stressed that "the vast majority of people with a mental health diagnosis will never hurt anybody. They won't hurt themselves. They're not a danger to the community."

He added that while a mental health component could play a role, there is still more research to be done. Sauschuck has not seen evidence that Card was “forcibly committed for treatment" regarding mental health.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to .


Oct 26, 2023 7:09 PM

Coast Guard searching Kennebec River

The U.S. Coast Guard is searching the Kennebec River in Maine for any sign of the mass shooting suspect, Robert Card.

Card owns a boat and property in the Lewiston area, according to a source briefed on the situation.

"Currently, one response boat crew from Station Boothbay Harbor, and an Air Station Cape Cod HC-144 fixed wing aircraft are assisting with patrols," Coast Guard spokesperson Rob Simpson said in a statement.


Oct 26, 2023 6:55 PM

Suspect was behaving erratically this summer during Army service

Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card allegedly behaved erratically this summer while serving as an Army reservist, according to a defense official.

PHOTO: Law enforcement is attempting to locate Robert Card as a person of interest regarding the mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 25, 2023.
Lewiston Maine Police Department
Law enforcement is attempting to locate Robert Card as a person of interest regarding the mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 25, 2023.
Lewiston Maine Police Department

Card was deployed to Camp Smith Training Center in upstate New York to help support summer training for West Point cadets.

Card allegedly threatened other soldiers with violence, according to a source briefed on the situation.

"Out of concern for his safety, the unit requested that law enforcement be contacted," the defense official said. Police took Card to Keller Army Community Hospital at the United States Military Academy for a medical evaluation, the official said.

PHOTO: Robert Card, a person of interest in the Maine mass shooting, in an undated photo from Facebook.
Facebook
Robert Card, a person of interest in the Maine mass shooting, in an undated photo from Facebook.
Facebook

Sometimes this spring or summer, Card bought an accessory to a firearm, according to the source briefed on the situation.

With the manhunt for Card ongoing, the source noted that Card owns a boat and property in the Lewiston area.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez and Pierre Thomas


Oct 26, 2023 6:40 PM

Exhaustive search underway for suspected gunman

A sweeping dragnet effort is underway on the ground and in the air as law enforcement partners fan out in full force in their search for the suspected Lewiston gunman, Robert Card.

More than 350 law enforcement personnel are involved in the search.

PHOTO: Law enforcement members patrol, following a deadly mass shooting in Lewiston, in Lisbon Falls, Maine, Oct. 26, 2023.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
Law enforcement members patrol, following a deadly mass shooting in Lewiston, in Lisbon Falls, Maine, Oct. 26, 2023.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Evidence response teams are already on the ground, processing the "very extensive scenes" where the shootings took place, FBI Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen said.

In these early stages, investigators are probing potential mental health issues Card may have had, and how he was in possession of a weapon.

VIDEO: Multi-agency manhunt continues for Maine shooting suspect
5:07
ABC News contributor Brad Garrett discusses what federal and local law enforcement is doing to capture the suspect in the fatal Lewiston mass shooting.

A motive has also not been determined.

"I think those are all valid questions and certainly questions that we are looking into now, but not questions that we can answer today," Commissioner of Maine's Department of Public Safety Mike Sauschuck said.

PHOTO: Robert Card, a person of interest in the Maine mass shooting, in an undated photo from Facebook.
Facebook
Robert Card, a person of interest in the Maine mass shooting, in an undated photo from Facebook.
Facebook

-ABC News' Sasha Pezenik



Oct 26, 2023 5:59 PM

Biden to GOP: 'Work with us' on gun reform

President Joe Biden said in a statement Thursday, "Once again, our nation is in mourning after yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting."

He said he's "praying for the Americans who’ve lost their lives, for those still in critical care, and for the families, survivors, and community members enduring shock and grief."

PHOTO: People depart a reunification center early Oct. 26, 2023, at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston.
Steven Senne/AP
People depart a reunification center early Oct. 26, 2023, at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston.
Steven Senne/AP

"Far too many Americans have now had a family member killed or injured as a result of gun violence. That is not normal, and we cannot accept it," Biden said.

He said, while the nation has made progress on gun reform with "the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the two dozen executive actions I’ve taken, and the establishment of the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, it’s simply not enough."

Biden said he's urging Republicans in Congress to "work with us to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to enact universal background checks, to require safe storage of guns, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers."

"This is the very least we owe every American who will now bear the scars -- physical and mental -- of this latest attack," he said.

"Last night, Lewiston became yet another community torn apart by senseless gun violence," Vice President Kamala Harris added on Thursday.

"It does not have to be this way, as our friends in Australia have demonstrated," Vice President Harris said at a state luncheon honoring Australian PM Anthony Albanese.
1:30
"It does not have to be this way, as our friends in Australia have demonstrated," Vice President Harris said at a state luncheon honoring Australian PM Anthony Albanese.

Harris, speaking at a State Department luncheon as part of the Australian prime minister's visit to Washington, D.C., noted how Australia enacted transformative gun reform after a 1996 mass shooting, banning semi-automatic and other weapons. Gun-related deaths in Australia then dropped significantly.

"The leading cause of death of American children is gun violence," Harris said. "Gun violence has terrorized and traumatized so many of our communities in this country. And let us be clear, it does not have to be this way, as our friends in Australia have demonstrated."

Biden received another briefing on the shooting Thursday morning and has ordered the U.S. flag to be flown at half-staff at the White House and all public buildings and grounds, according to the White House.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called on House Speaker Mike Johnson and Congress to act on gun reform.
1:52
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called on House Speaker Mike Johnson and Congress to act on gun reform.

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson


Oct 28, 2023 3:36 PM

Officials find letter from Maine shooting suspect

A note for a loved one was discovered in Robert Card's residence in which he left phone passcodes, bank account numbers and more. Investigators are working on accessing his phone and bank information through search warrants.

Police emphasized that the family has been highly cooperative. Sauschuck believes the first three individuals who positively identified the gunman based on released photos were family members.

On speculation about Card's mental health, Sauschuck stressed that "the vast majority of people with a mental health diagnosis will never hurt anybody. They won't hurt themselves. They're not a danger to the community."

He added that while a mental health component could play a role, there is still more research to be done. Sauschuck has not seen evidence that Card was “forcibly committed for treatment" regarding mental health.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to .


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