The United States suffered this Wednesday the deadliest shooting so far this year, one of the worst in the country's recent history and the deadliest in the state of Maine. At least 18 people were killed and 13 injured in two mass attacks that took place in the city of Lewiston. The events occurred at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley and at the Schemengees Bar & Grille restaurant shortly before seven in the afternoon (around one in the morning in mainland Spain) and were perpetrated by the same person.. The alleged perpetrator was identified as Robert Card and his whereabouts are unknown, according to security forces.
During a press conference held this Thursday afternoon, in which police officers and the state governor, Janet Mills, appeared, Dr. John Alexander, director of the Central Maine Health Center, confirmed that 15 people arrived at the hospital after the events. Eight of them remain admitted to the center, of which five are stable and three are in critical condition.. Of the total number of those initially admitted, three died, two were transferred to other health centers and two others were sent home.
The alleged perpetrator has been charged with eight murders so far, as police are still trying to identify the remaining ten fatalities.. As reported by the American press, Card was born in April 1983 in the nearby town of Bowdoin and is a US Army reservist.. He had a firearms handling instructor certificate and also suffered from mental health problems.. In fact, this summer he spent two weeks in a mental health facility after exhibiting an “erratic attitude” while at the West Point Military Academy in New York.. Specifically, he would have threatened to carry out a shooting at the National Guard base in Saco, also in Maine.. The North American press adds that the suspect had reported “hearing voices.”
After the shootings, a large police deployment was ordered, in which local, state and federal agents participated.. Agents from the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and even Special Forces SWAT teams are also collaborating in the search operation for the suspect, who is feared could flee to Canada.
According to reports, investigators are analyzing his cell phone signals, as well as his social networks and other electronic records, in order to discover his whereabouts.. The FBI would also have made available professionals who are experts in human behavior to determine the next movements of the alleged perpetrator of the events, according to the American press.
Card's family has urged him to surrender and turn himself in.. His brother Ryan has sent a statement to the CNN television network in which he assures that “they have collaborated with the authorities in every possible way.”
Because the suspect, described as “armed and dangerous”, has not yet been located by the authorities, the Government of Maine has ordered the confinement of citizens residing in Lewiston, Lisbon and Bowdoin. Businesses and schools in the three towns have closed and in Portland, the state's main city, classes have also been cancelled.
According to data collected by The Gun Violence Archive, an organization that documents gun violence in the US, this is the mass shooting with the highest number of fatalities this year in the country, where 565 armed attacks have been recorded in 2023, including this one. .