A day after the tragic mass shooting in the US state of Maine which claimed 18 lives, the manhunt for the suspect, 40-year-old Robert Card, continues. Maine governor Janet Mills said hundreds of investigators and officers were searching for Card.
"Mr. Card is considered armed and dangerous," Mills said at a news conference. "Police advise that Maine people should not approach him under any circumstances."
The police is focusing much of their search in the woods in the Bowdoin area, from where Card hails. "We are actively searching for him," Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck told reporters. "We don’t know his location, and I’ll leave it at that," NBC News quoted Sauschuck.
However, investigating officials said they have found a note at the suspect's home during a search and were deciphering its meaning and whether it could help the investigation.
Card is reported to have mental health issues and had complained of hearing "voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME." He was armed with an AR-15-style rifle when he went on a rampage at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston.
The police said they are clueless over how a man, hospitalised for mental health issues, was able to get his hands on a high-powered weapon. Neighbours report Card "was no stranger to guns" and was both an avid hunter and a threatening presence in the area. "The family and Robert, they’re all gun fanatics," local resident Liam Kent said. "For all intents and purposes, they are very much associated with right-wing militias. It’s known in the town to stay away from them and not approach them."
Meanwhile, shocked and fearful Maine residents kept to their homes for a second night. Streets in Lewiston and surrounding communities were deserted, except for an occasional truck or police patrol. Schools in Lewiston will remain shut on Friday too.
April Stevens lives in the same neighborhood where one of the shootings took place. She told The Associated Press that she turned on all her lights overnight and locked her doors. She knew someone killed at the bar and another person injured who needed surgery. "We're praying for everyone," Stevens said through tears.