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1 min ago

Maine communities still grieving after shooting rampage are under stay-at-home orders

From CNN's Aya Elamroussi

As communities in Maine grieve 18 people killed in a shooting at a bowling alley and restaurant two days ago, officials still are imploring thousands of residents to shelter in place Friday while a massive search continues for a suspect.

Authorities consider the suspect, Robert Card, armed and dangerous, and schools, businesses and other facilities have closed over safety concerns while hundreds of law enforcement officers swarm parts of southern Maine in Card’s pursuit.

The horror began around 7 p.m. Wednesday in the city of Lewiston, where authorities say Card opened fire at Just-in-Time Recreation and then later at Schemengees Bar & Grille. In addition to the 18 people killed, 13 others were injured, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday.

The shooting and subsequent manhunt spurred shelter-in-place orders for Androscoggin and northern Sagadahoc counties, which encompass Lewiston and the nearby Auburn and Lisbon communities.

“Nerves are rattled right now – (I’m) keeping an eye on the woods,” said Cory, a Lisbon resident whose 10-year-old daughter was inside his home. “Seeing the cops coming around here, that makes me feel a million times better.”

Hundreds of shootings a year: Wednesday night’s massacre appears to be the deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year. It is also the worst since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, last year.

Overall, at least 566 mass shootings have happened this year across the country, with four or more shot excluding the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Read the full story here.

2 hr 8 min ago

Lewiston’s Democratic congressman reverses opposition to assault weapons ban and asks for "forgiveness"

From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn

Maine Rep. Jared Golden of Maine — one of the rare House Democrats to oppose many gun safety measures championed by his party — came out in support of an assault weapons ban on Thursday, the day after shootings in his hometown of Lewiston.

“I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war,” Golden said at news conference in Lewiston. “The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles.”

Golden’s announcement marks a notable shift for the three-term congressman, who represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District – a largely rural seat that twice backed former President Donald Trump.

First elected in 2018 when he flipped the GOP-held district under ranked-choice voting, the Marine veteran has broken with his party on a number of priorities, including gun measures. He was one of only five Democrats to oppose an assault-style weapons ban passed in 2022 by the House, then under Democratic control.

But on Thursday, with his community still in lockdown, the congressman struck an urgent tone about the need to restrict assault weapons.

“For the good of my community, I will work with any colleague to get this done in the time I have left in Congress,” said Golden, who could be facing a competitive reelection next year.

“To the people of Lewiston, my constituents throughout the 2nd District, to the families who lost loved ones, and to those who have been harmed, I ask for forgiveness and support as I seek to put an end to these terrible shootings,” he said.

Read more here.

2 hr 4 min ago

Here are some of the challenges facing law enforcement in the search for the Lewiston shooting suspect

From CNN's Dakin Andone

Law enforcement agencies have descended upon southern Maine to search for Robert Card, the suspect in Wednesday's mass shootings — but his background could make the effort to find him both challenging and dangerous, experts told CNN.

“This is a person who has military training. They have an elevated level of firearms proficiency, but they also have the knowledge of military tactics, most notably evasion and the strategy on how to go undetected,” said CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Jonathan Wackrow. “All of that going on is challenging to law enforcement.”

His experience with guns: Card is a certified firearms instructor, law enforcement officials in Maine told CNN. And while he’s had no deployments, records provided by the Army indicate Card is a petroleum supply specialist in the Army reserve.

The 40-year-old never saw combat, according to Clifford Steeves, a former colleague in Card’s Army Reserve Unit. But Card received extensive training, including with firearms, he said, adding Card was a skilled marksman and among the best shooters in their unit.

Familiar with the outdoors: Much of the search is happening in a wooded area — and Card may be comfortable in the outdoors simply by virtue of being a resident of Maine, said Rob D’Amico, a retired FBI agent and former member of the bureau’s Hostage Rescue Team.

“I would say living up in Maine he has more outdoor experience than most people get in their bootcamp experience in the Army,” D’Amico said.

His careful planning: Several law enforcement experts also pointed to what they said was evidence of careful planning by the suspect.

One example is the location where his white Subaru was found — at the Pejepscot Boat Launch in Lisbon, about 8 miles southeast of Lewiston, raising the possibility that he absconded on the water.

“The question is, does he have a boat there? Or is he aware of a boat he could take there, and is that a second part of the plan, or just because he has done his shooting and he is in escape mode and it’s where he ended up? Those are unknowns,” said CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller.

Read more here.

1 hr 56 min ago

What to know about Lewiston, the small city where the shooting rampage unfolded

From CNN staff

Wednesday's shooting rampage took place in Lewiston, Maine, a sprawling residential and industrial area just off the Maine Turnpike.

The city has just 38,493 residents as of last year, according to the US Census. It's home to Bates College, a private liberal arts school, and is regularly ranked as one of America's safest cities.

Lewiston is a largely working-class community, with a median household income of about $48,000 and in which about 16% of the population lives in poverty, according to the US Census.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who met her husband in Lewiston, described it as a “special place.”

“It’s a close-knit community with a long history of hard work, of persistence, of faith, of opening its big heart to people everywhere,” Mills said. “This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security. No city does, no state, no people.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said he was “heartbroken for our city and our people.”

“Lewiston is known for our strength and grit and we will need both in the days to come," he said.

Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President Shanna Cox on Thursday called the scene of both attacks “family locations," adding: The likeliness of this having direct impact for so many here is so real.”

The shootings took place in a bowling alley and a restaurant, leaving at least 18 dead and 13 injured.

3 hr 33 min ago

A father of 5, a sister's "hero": Details emerge of victims from Maine shooting rampage

The shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday have horrified the tight-knit community, with details emerging on Thursday of the victims as a massive manhunt continues for the gunman.

Of the 18 victims, seven were found dead at the bowling alley Just-In-Time Recreation and eight were found dead at Schemengees Bar & Grille, while three others died at the hospital, according to Maine State Police Col. William Ross.

Here are some of the names that have emerged so far:

• Peyton Brewer-Ross was playing in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees when he was killed, his brother Ralph Brewer told CNN. Brewer-Ross, 39, had loved playing cornhole and spending time with friends at the bar and grill; he also enjoyed comics and playing games. He has a 2-year-old daughter Elle, who just celebrated her birthday two weeks ago, his brother said.
• Arthur “Artie” Strout was also at Schemengees, his father Arthur Bernard told CNN affiliate WBZ. Bernard said he had just left Schemengees minutes before receiving a call that there was an active shooter at the restaurant. Strout leaves behind five children.
• Joseph Walker was the manager of the bar at Schemengees, said his father Leroy Walker, a city councilor in the nearby city Auburn, speaking to CNN affiliate WGME. State police told Joseph's wife he had been killed after picking up a knife and trying to stop the gunman, Leroy said.
• Tricia Asselin, 53, worked part-time at Just-In-Time Recreation and was there bowling Wednesday night when the shooting began, her brother DJ Johnson told CNN. Johnson said Tricia ran to the counter and was trying to call 911 when she was shot. His other sister, Bobbi Nichols, was also at the bowling alley and managed to escape; she didn't find out about Asselin's death until hours afterward. "My sister is a hero," Nichols told CNN on Thursday.
• Bryan MacFarlane, 40, was participating in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees when he was killed, his sister Keri Brooks told CNN. MacFarlane was part of the local Deaf community, which usually gathers at the restaurant to play cornhole on Wednesdays. Brooks added that MacFarlane was one of the first Deaf people in the state of Vermont to get his commercial trucking driver's license. He loved riding his motorcycle and hanging out with his dog named M&M.

3 hr 56 min ago

Father of 5 identified as one of the victims of the Lewiston mass shootings

From CNN’s Amanda Jackson and Cara Lynn Clarkson

Arthur “Artie” Strout was at Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant when he was killed during Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, his father Arthur Bernard told CNN affiliate WBZ.  

Bernard said he had just left Schemengees when he received the heartbreaking call that there was an active shooter. 

"The crazy part is just being with him just before it happened, minutes, I mean 10 minutes before it happened," Bernard told WBZ. “I hadn't driven very far before I got a phone call saying that there was a shooting there and I knew where he was in the place, 20 feet from the door."

Strout’s family thought he was at the hospital but learned the news of his death on Thursday. He leaves behind five children.

1 hr 57 min ago

What we know about the suspect in the Maine mass shooting

From CNN's John Miller, Curt Devine, Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman and Allison Gordon

The suspect in the Maine mass shooting started making statements about hearing voices and wanting to hurt fellow soldiers while serving at a military base this summer, and spent a few weeks in a hospital, law enforcement officials told CNN.

But a relative of the suspect and two former colleagues in the Army Reserve told CNN they weren’t aware of him having any longstanding history of mental health issues – although one former colleague remembered him as a skilled marksman and outdoorsman who was among the best shooters in his unit.

Robert R. Card II, 40, made his troubling statements while he was at the Camp Smith training facility in New York, the law enforcement officials said. His command referred him to a military hospital, and he spent a few weeks under evaluation, they said.

In July, Army Reserve officials reported Card for “behaving erratically,” and he was transported to the nearby Keller Army Community Hospital at the United States Military Academy for “medical evaluation,” a National Guard spokesman told CNN.

“Out of concern for his safety, the unit requested that law enforcement be contacted,” said the spokesperson, Col. Richard Goldenberg. New York State Police responded and transported Card to the hospital, he said.

Card then spent a few weeks under evaluation at the hospital, the law enforcement officials said.

The 40-year-old Card also threatened to shoot up a National Guard base in Maine, law enforcement officials previously told CNN.

Card’s sister-in-law, Katie O’Neill, said in a brief conversation with CNN Thursday that Card does not have a long history of mental health struggles.

“This is something that was an acute episode. This is not who he is,” O’Neill said. “He is not someone who has had mental health issues for his lifetime or anything like that.”

Read more here.

2 hr 1 min ago

It's been over 24 hours since massive manhunt was launched for shooting suspect. Here's where things stand

From CNN staff

It's been more than a day since the manhunt began for Robert Card, the suspect in a Wednesday night shooting rampage that left 18 people dead in Lewiston, Maine.

Here's where the search stands:

• The suspect: Card, 40, is facing an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.
• FBI raid on suspect's address: SWAT teams on Thursday conducted a search of the last-known address associated with Card, law enforcement sources told CNN. Once the teams cleared the house, investigators came in to execute the search warrant, looking for items like computers, notes, weapons and any evidence that might indicate a plan to carry out the shootings, the sources said.
• Police at the house: Law enforcement officials returned to the house later Thursday evening. CNN teams on site saw at least five law enforcement vehicles at the scene, including an armored vehicle. A spokesperson with the Maine Department of Public Safety told CNN law enforcement is "not positive Robert Card is in this house," and officials are "simply doing our due diligence."
• Other searches: State and local investigators did a similar style entry and search at another location, as well as a search of Card's car on Thursday, the sources told CNN.
• Gun found: In the neighboring town of Lisbon, investigators recovered a gun on Thursday while searching an abandoned car connected to the suspect, but it hasn’t been determined whether the firearm was used in Wednesday’s shootings, a law enforcement source told CNN.
• Sheltering in place: Residents in Lewiston and Lisbon have been asked to continue sheltering in place overnight. Classes were canceled in Lewiston and multiple other districts on Thursday, with many schools staying closed Friday.

4 hr 24 min ago

Father of 2-year-old identified as one of the victims of the Lewiston mass shootings

From CNN’s Amanda Jackson and David Williams

Peyton Brewer-Ross, 39, was participating in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar and Grille when he was killed during Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, his brother Ralph Brewer told CNN. 

Brewer-Ross loved playing cornhole and enjoying hanging out with friends at Schemengees, his brother said.

“It’s just surreal and sad. Now my brother is not here anymore along with 17 other people,” Brewer told CNN in a phone interview on Thursday. “He just went to play cornhole. He is the nicest person you would ever meet. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone.”

Brewer-Ross “loved being a dad more than anything else,” his brother said. Two weeks ago, Brewer-Ross celebrated his daughter Elle's second birthday. 

“She woke up telling her mom, Rachel [Sloat], ‘where’s daddy, where’s daddy.’” Brewer said. “At 2 years old, she isn’t going to remember any of this, but in the same breath, she isn’t going to have her dad be there the rest of her life.” 

In the past five years, Brewer-Ross worked his way through the iron pipefitter apprenticeship program and graduated last year. When he wasn’t spending time with his family, he enjoyed comics, cornhole, playing games and having fun with friends, his brother said. 

“We are walking around in a daze not knowing what to say, what to do, or how to act, because of a senseless shooting,” Brewer said. “It’s so unbelievable that this can continue to happen over and over again and nothing changes.”

As communities in Maine grieve 18 people killed in a shooting at a bowling alley and restaurant two days ago, officials still are imploring thousands of residents to shelter in place Friday while a massive search continues for a suspect.

Authorities consider the suspect, Robert Card, armed and dangerous, and schools, businesses and other facilities have closed over safety concerns while hundreds of law enforcement officers swarm parts of southern Maine in Card’s pursuit.

The horror began around 7 p.m. Wednesday in the city of Lewiston, where authorities say Card opened fire at Just-in-Time Recreation and then later at Schemengees Bar & Grille. In addition to the 18 people killed, 13 others were injured, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday.

The shooting and subsequent manhunt spurred shelter-in-place orders for Androscoggin and northern Sagadahoc counties, which encompass Lewiston and the nearby Auburn and Lisbon communities.

Hundreds of shootings a year: Wednesday night’s massacre appears to be the deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year. It is also the worst since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, last year.

Overall, at least 566 mass shootings have happened this year across the country, with four or more shot excluding the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Read the full story here.

Maine Rep. Jared Golden of Maine — one of the rare House Democrats to oppose many gun safety measures championed by his party — came out in support of an assault weapons ban on Thursday, the day after shootings in his hometown of Lewiston.

Golden’s announcement marks a notable shift for the three-term congressman, who represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District – a largely rural seat that twice backed former President Donald Trump.

First elected in 2018 when he flipped the GOP-held district under ranked-choice voting, the Marine veteran has broken with his party on a number of priorities, including gun measures. He was one of only five Democrats to oppose an assault-style weapons ban passed in 2022 by the House, then under Democratic control.

But on Thursday, with his community still in lockdown, the congressman struck an urgent tone about the need to restrict assault weapons.

“To the people of Lewiston, my constituents throughout the 2nd District, to the families who lost loved ones, and to those who have been harmed, I ask for forgiveness and support as I seek to put an end to these terrible shootings,” he said.

Read more here.

Law enforcement agencies have descended upon southern Maine to search for Robert Card, the suspect in Wednesday's mass shootings — but his background could make the effort to find him both challenging and dangerous, experts told CNN.

His experience with guns: Card is a certified firearms instructor, law enforcement officials in Maine told CNN. And while he’s had no deployments, records provided by the Army indicate Card is a petroleum supply specialist in the Army reserve.

The 40-year-old never saw combat, according to Clifford Steeves, a former colleague in Card’s Army Reserve Unit. But Card received extensive training, including with firearms, he said, adding Card was a skilled marksman and among the best shooters in their unit.

Familiar with the outdoors: Much of the search is happening in a wooded area — and Card may be comfortable in the outdoors simply by virtue of being a resident of Maine, said Rob D’Amico, a retired FBI agent and former member of the bureau’s Hostage Rescue Team.

His careful planning: Several law enforcement experts also pointed to what they said was evidence of careful planning by the suspect.

One example is the location where his white Subaru was found — at the Pejepscot Boat Launch in Lisbon, about 8 miles southeast of Lewiston, raising the possibility that he absconded on the water.

Read more here.

Wednesday's shooting rampage took place in Lewiston, Maine, a sprawling residential and industrial area just off the Maine Turnpike.

The city has just 38,493 residents as of last year, according to the US Census. It's home to Bates College, a private liberal arts school, and is regularly ranked as one of America's safest cities.

Lewiston is a largely working-class community, with a median household income of about $48,000 and in which about 16% of the population lives in poverty, according to the US Census.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who met her husband in Lewiston, described it as a “special place.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said he was “heartbroken for our city and our people.”

“Lewiston is known for our strength and grit and we will need both in the days to come," he said.

Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President Shanna Cox on Thursday called the scene of both attacks “family locations," adding: The likeliness of this having direct impact for so many here is so real.”

The shootings took place in a bowling alley and a restaurant, leaving at least 18 dead and 13 injured.

The shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday have horrified the tight-knit community, with details emerging on Thursday of the victims as a massive manhunt continues for the gunman.

Of the 18 victims, seven were found dead at the bowling alley Just-In-Time Recreation and eight were found dead at Schemengees Bar & Grille, while three others died at the hospital, according to Maine State Police Col. William Ross.

Here are some of the names that have emerged so far:

Arthur “Artie” Strout was at Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant when he was killed during Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, his father Arthur Bernard told CNN affiliate WBZ.  

Bernard said he had just left Schemengees when he received the heartbreaking call that there was an active shooter. 

Strout’s family thought he was at the hospital but learned the news of his death on Thursday. He leaves behind five children.

The suspect in the Maine mass shooting started making statements about hearing voices and wanting to hurt fellow soldiers while serving at a military base this summer, and spent a few weeks in a hospital, law enforcement officials told CNN.

But a relative of the suspect and two former colleagues in the Army Reserve told CNN they weren’t aware of him having any longstanding history of mental health issues – although one former colleague remembered him as a skilled marksman and outdoorsman who was among the best shooters in his unit.

Robert R. Card II, 40, made his troubling statements while he was at the Camp Smith training facility in New York, the law enforcement officials said. His command referred him to a military hospital, and he spent a few weeks under evaluation, they said.

In July, Army Reserve officials reported Card for “behaving erratically,” and he was transported to the nearby Keller Army Community Hospital at the United States Military Academy for “medical evaluation,” a National Guard spokesman told CNN.

Card then spent a few weeks under evaluation at the hospital, the law enforcement officials said.

The 40-year-old Card also threatened to shoot up a National Guard base in Maine, law enforcement officials previously told CNN.

Card’s sister-in-law, Katie O’Neill, said in a brief conversation with CNN Thursday that Card does not have a long history of mental health struggles.

Read more here.

It's been more than a day since the manhunt began for Robert Card, the suspect in a Wednesday night shooting rampage that left 18 people dead in Lewiston, Maine.

Here's where the search stands:

Peyton Brewer-Ross, 39, was participating in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar and Grille when he was killed during Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, his brother Ralph Brewer told CNN. 

Brewer-Ross loved playing cornhole and enjoying hanging out with friends at Schemengees, his brother said.

“It’s just surreal and sad. Now my brother is not here anymore along with 17 other people,” Brewer told CNN in a phone interview on Thursday. “He just went to play cornhole. He is the nicest person you would ever meet. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone.”

Brewer-Ross “loved being a dad more than anything else,” his brother said. Two weeks ago, Brewer-Ross celebrated his daughter Elle's second birthday. 

In the past five years, Brewer-Ross worked his way through the iron pipefitter apprenticeship program and graduated last year. When he wasn’t spending time with his family, he enjoyed comics, cornhole, playing games and having fun with friends, his brother said. 

“We are walking around in a daze not knowing what to say, what to do, or how to act, because of a senseless shooting,” Brewer said. “It’s so unbelievable that this can continue to happen over and over again and nothing changes.”