Maine shootings: US town remains in lockdown as police hunt gunman who opened fire in bowling alley

The wanted man is Robert Card, a former firearms instructor

A US town still remains in lockdown as police continue their search for an armed man who killed at least 16 people and injured dozens of others.

The man, who is believed to have previously worked as a firearms instructor at a US Army Reserve training facility, opened fire in a bar and a bowling alley in the city of Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday evening.

It is unclear exactly how many people have been killed or injured in the incident, which is one of more than 500 mass shootings in the US so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

An armed police officer guards the ambulance entrance to the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine. A massive manhunt was under way for a gunman who opened fire in a bowling alley and bar.

US president Joe Biden has previously vowed it is “time to act” on gun control, but so far little has changed. A statement issued by local police said the wanted man, Robert Card, had been recently committed to a mental health facility, according to a state police bulletin.

Mr Card, who had been trained as a firearms instructor at a US Army Reserve training facility in Maine, had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023.

The document also said Card had reported hearing voices and had threatened to carry out a shooting at the military training base in Saco, Maine. The police bulletin, which warned Mr Card was “armed and dangerous” did not provide specific details about his treatment or condition.

One bowler, who identified himself only as Brandon, said he heard about ten shots, thinking the first was a balloon popping.

“I had my back turned to the door. And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon – he was holding a weapon – I just booked it,” he said.

Brandon said he scrambled down the length of the alley, sliding into the pin area and climbing up to hide in the machinery. He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a school in the neighbouring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends.

“I was putting on my bowling shoes when when it started – I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he said.

Melinda Small, the owner of Legends Sports Bar and Grill, said her staff immediately locked their doors and moved all 25 customers and employees away from the entrances after a customer reported hearing about the shooting at the bowling alley less than a quarter-mile away.

Soon the police flooded the road and a police officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building.

“I am honestly in a state of shock, I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” Ms Small said. “But the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.”

On its website, Central Maine Medical Centre said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were co-ordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.

The alert for Lewiston was made shortly after 8pm local time as the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office reported law enforcement agencies were investigating “two active shooter events”. The sheriff’s office said the suspect was still at large.

“We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate,” the sheriff’s office reported.

A spokesperson for Maine Department of Public Safety urged residents to stay in their homes with their doors locked. “Law enforcement is currently investigating at two locations right now,” Shannon Moss said. “Again please stay off the streets and allow law enforcement to diffuse the situation.”

An order for residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets of the city of 37,000 was extended on Wednesday night from Lewiston to Lisbon, about eight miles away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed a gunman walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.

President Joe Biden had spoken by phone to Ms Mills and the state’s Congress members, offering “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack”, a White House statement said.

Local schools were closed on Thursday and people should shelter in place or seek safety, Superintendent Jake Langlais said, adding: “Stay close to your loved ones, embrace them.”

Gun violence is less common in the state of Maine than in other areas of the US. In 2022, the state had 29 homicides for the entire year.

In 2020, 45,000 Americans were killed due to gunshot wounds. Of that figure, more than 19,000 were murders or manslaughters. This is in addition to the remaining 25,000 deaths, which were accidents involving guns.