Maine mass shooter Robert Card has been found dead in the woods with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head, multiple sources told CNNÂ – ending a 48-hour manhunt involving over 300 members of law enforcement.
Card, 40, was found near Lisbon, where his car was abandoned shortly after Wednesday’s massacre. His body was reportedly located near a recycling plant from where he was recently fired.
It was unclear how long he had been dead.Â
Eighteen people died when Card, an army reservist who had suffered a recent mental breakdown, opened fire at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston.
Card went on the run, leaving his car and cell phone behind and sparking a 48-hour manhunt.Â
‘So happy this nightmare is over,’ said John Riordan, who lives near the scene.
He told the Sun Journal: ‘Hopefully the families can get some closure. It will be nice to get back to some state of normalcy.’Â
Robert Card, 40, has been found dead, multiple news outlets report. Card is accused of killing 18 people in a series of shootings in Lewiston, Maine on Wednesday night
The 40-year-old is seen during his rampage through Lewiston, murdering 18 people and injuring more than a dozen others on Wednesday night
Card, a US Army reserve soldier, launched the initial attack at a bowling alley (pictured) at around 6.56pm then struck again at bar and restaurant four miles away just 12 minutes later
Search teams on Friday were focusing their efforts on a river near Lisbon, where Card was known to moor his boat and jet ski.
On Thursday, there were multiple raids at homes in the town of Bowdoin belonging to Card’s parents, and his brother.
Card spent 20 years in the Army reserves, and was a keen hunter and fisherman.
His marksmanship and survival skills made him a formidable foe for those trying to track him down, and local residents were ordered to stay indoors from Wednesday night until Friday evening.
A picture of Card’s disturbed mental state quickly emerged.
He had been fired from his job at a recycling plant, and had split from a recent partner.
Over the summer he was sectioned for two weeks after he said he was hearing voices, and threatened to open fire at his Army base.Â
