BOWDOIN CENTER, MAINE: Robert Card, a 40-year-old Firearms instructor, who has been identified as the person of interest in a Maine mass shooting, reportedly threatened to shoot up a National Guard base in Saco.
Maine law enforcement launched a manhunt for Card after he shot at least 22 people and injured 60 others at separate locations during a rampage around 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25.
He was driving a 2013 white Subaru, which was later found in Lisbon, about seven miles southeast of Lewiston, Eric Samson, sheriff of Androscoggin County, announced at 11:20 p.m.
Lewiston Police Department previously announced that Card "should be considered armed and dangerous." "Please contact law enforcement if you are aware of his whereabouts,” officials said in a Facebook post.
“If people see him, they should not approach Card or make contact with him in any way,” Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck told reporters at a news conference.
Robert Card faced mental health issues
Card was reported to have been committed to a mental health facility during Summer 2023 and released after a two-week stay, NBC News reported.
A bulletin put out by the Maine Information and Analysis Center, a database for law enforcement officials, that Card “recently reported mental health issues to include hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME.”
Card, who is twice divorced and a father of three children, has a history of arrests for domestic violence and other crimes, according to Marca.
One of his ex-wives even obtained a restraining order against him.
A senior White House official stated that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the deadly shooting and he "will continue to receive updates."
The official said that POTUS spoke to Maine Governor Janet Mills, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and Congressman Jared Golden about the shooting and offered full federal support in the wake of the horrific attack.
Residents searching for loved ones after Maine mass shooting
Several reports revealed that emergency personnel were called to separate shootings at Sparetime Recreation bowling alley, Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant.
A mother told News Center Maine that she hasn't been able to get in touch with her adult son, who was allegedly shot when she and her ex-husband were playing pool at Schemengees Bar.
“My ex-husband and my son were playing pool. And next thing I know, I saw on Facebook that there was a shooting at Schemengees where they were playing,” the woman named Julie said outside Central Maine Hospital, where she and his wife and kid had gathered to await answers.
“We’re all waiting and we’ve learned nothing. They won’t tell us if he’s alive, if he’s in critical condition, if he’s passed — they won’t tell us anything,” she continued.
