A map shows where a gunman went on a devastating rampage in Maine in the US that left 18 people dead.
The shooter carried out the massacre at two locations in the town of Lewiston, 4.2 miles apart. He started at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley before moving onto Schemengees Bar and Grille.
Suspect US Army reservist, Robert Card, remains on the run as police continue their manhunt, urging residents in the area to take shelter.
According to some reports, Card may have escaped on a vessel of some kind – either a boat or a jet ski.
The terrifying attack started minutes before 7pm on Wednesday, when shots were fired at the bowling alley on Mollison Way.
One woman and six men were shot dead here, according to police, who did not give the victims’ names and ages.
However, family and friends have revealed those who died at the first site include Bill Young and his 14-year-old son Aaron; part-time employee Tricia Asselin, 53, who was on a night out with her sister; retired mechanic Bob Violette, 76; the manager of the bowling alley; Tom Conrad, 34; and Michael Deslauriers, who together with a friend who also died, charged at the gunman to protect their wives and children.
At 7.08pm, a number of 911 calls reported an active gunman at Schemengees Bar and Grill on Lincoln Street.
Eight men were shot dead, and three victims were taken to hospital where they died.
Two men killed in the restaurant shootings have been named by loved ones as Brian Macfarlane, 40, who was part of a group in the deaf community, and Schemengees bar manager Joseph Walker, 57.
Maine State Police urged residents to shelter ‘inside your home with the doors locked’ just after 8pm.
‘Law enforcement is currently investigating at multiple locations,’ the department wrote online.
At 8.06pm police released a photo of the suspected gunman, and an hour and a half later they received a call identifying the man in the photo as Card, Boston.com reports.
At 9.56pm police said they had found a ‘vehicle of interest’ in Lisbon, which lies around 8 miles from Lewiston, at Pejepscot Boat Launch. They later posted a photo of a white Suburu that was registered to Card.
At 10pm, Androscoggin County officials introduced a shelter-in-place order for the entire county and the manhunt continued until the following day.
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At 6am on Thursday, the residents of Bowdoin — where Card lives — were ordered to shelter in place. Police revealed more than 100 investigators were searching for Card.
At 10.30am a press conference was held, where officials confirmed 18 people had died in the shooting, an another 13 were injured. An arrest warrant for eight murders had been issued for Card, they added. This number is likely to increase as victims are officially confirmed.
Last night, heavily armed police and FBI agents raided a home belonging to one of his relatives near Bowdoin.
Part of the search played out on live TV as law enforcement officers executed warrants.
But hours later, after repeated announcements and a search, authorities moved off — and it was still unclear whether Card had ever been there.
Today – as police continue to search for Card – it was revealed investigators had found a mysterious note at his home.
It is not known what the contents of the note are, but police are trying to determine if it reveals the motivation behind the mass shootings, NBC news reports.
Meanwhile, a source with direct knowledge of the investigation has said he was linked to both locations which were targeted.
They told ABC News an ex-girlfriend of Card’s was connected to one of them, adding: ‘We don’t think this was completely random.’
Card’s sister also told investigators he may have been looking for an ex-girlfriend at the two shooting locations, the report adds.
Sources said Card’s family, who are thought to be assisting the investigation, have been giving officers an insight into the mind of what is said to be ‘a deeply troubled person’.
The accounts back up earlier reports of mental health treatment, hearing voices and threats to shoot up a National Guard facility.
This massacre is the country’s biggest mass shooting this year. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 565 mass shooting incidents across the US so far in 2023.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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