(RepublicanReport.org) – Gunfire rang through the night recently in Maine when an assailant crashed a bowling alley and fatally shot eight people. The person then allegedly took the carnage to a nearby bar, where he killed at least seven more people. Three more individuals died at the hospital. Police have identified a person of interest, 40-year-old Robert Card, who remains at large.
The terror began on Wednesday, October 25, at roughly 6:56 p.m. Patrons at Sparetime Recreation, located in Lewiston, Maine, ran for cover as the gunman opened fire using an assault-style rifle. Then, at around 7:08 p.m., reports of continued gunfire emerged at the Schemengees Bar & Grille, about four miles from the bowling alley.
Maine State Police quickly issued a shelter-in-place advisory for residents of Lewiston to stay at home and keep their doors locked. Officials expanded the notice on Thursday, according to a post on Facebook, closing schools and adding neighboring town Bowdoin to the advisory. They noted that over 100 local and federal investigators were on the case.
Police are still trying to identify 10 of the mass killer’s 18 victims, all of whom, according to Newsmax, died due to the suspect’s deadly spree. Another 13 people suffered injuries during the attack.
According to The Associated Press (AP), Card is a member of the US Army Reserve. He had reportedly spent two weeks in a mental health facility over the summer, allegedly related to reports that he’d heard voices and may have threatened to open fire at his military base in Saco, Maine.
Those living in Maine don’t need permits to carry guns, which are a deeply embedded part of the state’s hunting and sport shooting culture. Residents shot down a proposal that would have added background checks to gun sales in 2016. Proposals in 2019 to strengthen school security and ban bump stocks also failed, as did a 2022 attempt to add a 72-hour waiting period on all gun sales.
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