The Maine bowling alley shooting suspect who shot dead at least 18 people and injured 13 others may have fled on a jet ski, police believe, according to a new report. Robert Card, 40, an Army reservist, is the focus of an extensive manhunt following the massacre he carried out at a bowling alley and pool hall in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night.
The gunman remains at large, and a "shelter-in-place" advisory has been extended to multiple towns as law enforcement continues their manhunt. Residents of both Lewiston and nearby towns Lisbon and Bowdoin have been warned not to venture outside on Thursday morning while the gunman remains at large.
Escaping on Jet Ski?
Armored tanks and SWAT teams conducted an extensive search in the early hours of Thursday morning, focusing on a waterway entrance to the Androscoggin River. This operation was prompted after Card's empty white Subaru Outback was found abandoned at a boat dock located in Miller Park, DailyMail.com reported.
Marine records obtained by DailyMail.com indicate that Card registered a 2019 Sea Doo jet ski in his name in June. This has raised concerns that he might have used the watercraft as a means to escape from investigators following the shooting.
Maine State Police deployed aircraft to search a limited section of the river in the early hours of Thursday in an effort to locate Card, who authorities have acknowledged suffered from mental health issues, the outlet reported.
Officials reported that a blue Chevy Suburban with a Maine registration plate 6625ZD, believed to be carrying Card, crossed into Massachusetts via the I-93 at 8:01 on Thursday morning.
Police described him as "believed to be armed and dangerous."
Residents of both Lewiston and nearby towns Lisbon and Bowdoin have been warned not to venture outside on Thursday morning while the gunman remains at large. Public schools in Lewiston, Bowdoin, and Portland, the largest city in the state, which is over 30 miles from the site of the shooting, have been closed as a safety measure.
Card is from Bowdoin, and his abandoned vehicle was located in Lisbon shortly after the shooting occurred.
The suspect used an AR-15-style rifle to carry out the shooting, first at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and then at the nearby Schemengees Bar and Grille.
Lewiston councilor Robert McCarthy revealed on Thursday morning that the death toll had reached 22, and the town was grappling with the aftermath of "this kind of a shooting event."
Lewiston, a small city with a population of around 38,000, remains under lockdown as law enforcement officers search for Robert Card. He was placed on a psychiatric hold during the summer due to mental health concerns.
Mentally Ill on the Run
Card had reported hearing voices and made threats of violence, including an alleged threat to shoot up his National Guard base in Saco, Maine.
"Please stay inside your homes while more than 100 investigators, both local and federal work to locate Robert Card who is a person of interest in the Lewiston shootings," Maine State police said on Facebook.
Authorities suspect that Robert Card may have connections to Massachusetts, and police are stationed at the border between Maine and Massachusetts to monitor any potential movement or attempts to cross state lines.
This came as the first victim of Card's carnage was identified on Thursday morning. Justin Karcher, 23, is among the 50 people injured in the shooting. His mother, Jessica Karcher, told the Washington Post on Thursday that Justin is in the intensive care unit and is on a ventilator. Medical professionals have had to perform resuscitation multiple times following emergency surgery.
"He's not out of the woods," she explained. In July 2019, Justin had to witness his father being fatally shot in a Walmart parking lot, his mother, Jessica, said.
"His father passed away in front of him," she lamented.
"My head is pounding," she said of her son shortly after 2:30 a.m.
"I just called the hospital for an update. And of course, they don't have one."
The incident unfolded while children were engaged in play, and it resulted in injuries to several teenagers.
Meghan Hutchinson described the terrifying moment when her daughter was grazed by a bullet inside the bowling alley as they were trying to flee from the gunman.
"We were in the back room. Another child came in whose arm had a massive ... was bleeding profusely. So we barricaded in there and another parent was in the room with me. She had a phone and she called 911," the mother told WMTW.
A heavy police presence is outside the Central Maine Medical Center on Thursday morning, with officers positioned at every entrance while armed with high-powered rifles. The hospital is currently under lockdown, and no visitors are permitted.
In addition to local law enforcement, federal agencies such as the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and other federal agents have joined the search efforts. Detectives are actively investigating the shooter's cellphone signals, social media activity, and electronic records to construct a timeline of his movements leading up to the shooting.
