LEWISTON, Maine — The man wanted in the mass shooting at a bowling alley and bar that killed 18 people and wounded 13 was found dead Friday, bringing an end to a search that put the entire state of Maine on edge for the last two days.
Robert Card, who was wanted in connection with the shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston, was found dead in Lisbon Falls, Maine, Gov. Janet Mills said during a Friday night news conference.
Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said Card was found at 7:45 p.m. near the Androscoggin River of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police found Card’s body at a recycling facility where he recently worked, a law enforcement official told the AP.
Card, 40, of Bowdoin, Maine, was a U.S. Army reservist who underwent a mental health evaluation in mid-July after he began acting erratically during training, a U.S. official told The Associated Press.
Card had been sought since the Wednesday night shootings, and murder warrants were issued against him.
A bulletin sent to police across the country shortly after the attack said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this past summer after “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.
A U.S. official said Card was training with the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment in West Point, N.Y., when commanders became concerned about him.
State police took Card to the Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point for evaluation, according to the official.
Authorities had scoured the woods and hundreds of acres of family-owned property, sent dive teams with sonar to the bottom of a river and scrutinized a possible suicide note Friday in the second day of their intensive search for Card.
Authorities lifted their shelter-in-place order Friday evening, nearly 48 hours after the shootings.
The names and pictures of the 16 males and two females who died were released as Sauschuck asked for a moment of silence during the news conference. Their ages ranged from 14 to 76.
Law enforcement officials said they hadn’t seen Card since his vehicle was left at a boat ramp Wednesday shortly after the shootings.
Authorities say Card, who had firearms training, opened fire at the bar and a bowling alley Wednesday in Lewiston, Maine’s second-largest city.
The city held an online vigil Friday night with local clergy members, prayer and music. Residents expressed their shock and pain in chat postings, describing themselves as angry, grieving, tired and heartbroken. Those watching at home were urged to light candles.
One poster, Victoria, wrote: “I lost 2 people that I cared truly about and a close family friend that is currently fighting for his life in ICU. My heart’s shattered.”
Police and other law enforcement officers were spotted in several areas around the region on Friday. Divers searched the water near a boat launch in Lisbon and a farming business in the same town. At points throughout the day, police vehicles were seen speeding through several towns, lights flashing and sirens blaring.
A gun was found in Card’s car, which was discovered at a boat ramp, and federal agents were testing it to determine if it was used in the shooting, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. Authorities have said publicly that the shooter used at least one rifle. They have not released any other details, including how the suspect obtained the firearm.
Authorities found a suicide note at a home associated with Card on Thursday that was addressed to his son, the law enforcement officials said. They said it didn’t provide any specific motive for the shooting. Authorities also recovered Card’s cellphone in the home, making a search more complicated because authorities routinely use phones to track suspects, the officials said.
Federal agents conducted several searches of properties associated with Card on Thursday, collecting a number of items, including electronics, the officials said. Investigators are also analyzing Card’s financial information and reviewing his social media posts, his writings and his mental health history, they said.
