The former army reservist who killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, has been found dead. Four senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that Robert Card is deceased. Robert Card, 40, was found dead in the woods near Lisbon. Multiple law enforcement sources told the network that Card died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Further details are not yet available.
All 18 victims have been identified: Ronald G. Morin, 55; Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40; Joshua A. Seal, 36; Bryan M. MacFarlane, 41; Joseph Lawrence Walker, 57; Arthur Fred Strout, 42; Maxx A. Hathaway, 35; Stephen M. Vozzella, 45; Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34; Michael R. Deslauries II, 51; Jason Adam Walker, 51; Tricia C. Asselin, 53; William A. Young, 44; Aaron Young, 14; Robert E. Violette, 76; Lucille M. Violette, 73; William Frank Brackett, 48; Keith D. Macneir, 64.
Card hears voices, and who knows what they’re telling him to do? His family said his mental health has deteriorated rapidly lately. He became paranoid and thought everyone was against him.
“He is quiet but the most loving, hardworking, and kind person that I know. But in the past year, he had an acute episode of mental health, and it’s been a struggle,” his sister-in-law Katie O’Neill told the publication, adding that he started using hearing aids.
“He truly believed he was hearing people say things,” O’Neill told The Daily Beast, adding that “this all just happened within the last few months.”
She added, “He would get mad and claim that we didn’t believe him. We tried to listen to him and tell him that nobody was talking about him. Yesterday, as the story was unfolding, we prayed that Rob had nothing to do with this. But when we heard the two places where the shooting happened, my husband rushed home.”
Katie O’Neill is married to Card’s brother. She has also been called Katie Card in some reports.
Local resident Liam Kent told NBC News that Card lived in what was “basically a compound” in Bowdoin, Maine. “The family and Robert, they’re all gun fanatics,” Kent said to NBC. “For all intents and purposes, they are very much associated with right-wing militias. It’s known in the town to stay away from them and not approach them.”
Kent was appalled that Card was a hunter and the family “shot guns all the time.”
According to the New York Daily News, authorities found a note in Card’s home, but they said they are trying to decipher it. They did not disclose the contents.
It does appear that 18 – 22 people have died, 13 were injured, and three are in critical condition.
The shooter is still on the run.
The person of interest, Robert Card, is still on the loose. His car has been located, but he’s still missing.
Reportedly, at least 22 people are confirmed dead, 50 to 60 injured in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine. There is a bolo for Robert Card, driving a 2013 Subaru Outback, in connection with the mass shooting.
Maine State Police are telling residents to shelter in place as the active shooter is on a shooting spree. A restaurant and a bowling alley were reportedly among at least two shooting scenes.
Police, fire, and rescue personnel descended on Sparetime Recreation on Mollison Way about 7:15 p.m. after a report of an active shooter. Shortly after, reports came in that there was another shooting – possibly – at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant on Lincoln Street.
Sparetime Recreation, the bowling alley, had families enjoying the evening playing games when the shooting began. Eyewitnesses described seeing people, including children, flee from the location and being patted down outside by police officers. There was also footage of first responders loading a victim into an ambulance outside the business,
The business lies just off the main highway that runs through Lewiston, with an arcade and grill that serves food, according to its website. It regularly hosts special events throughout the week such as “Senior Day” with discounted prices for seniors, and “Glow Bowling” with a DJ.
Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, the second shooting location, hosts parties, family celebrations, and corporate events — with an arcade area that includes dart boards and pool tables, according to its website. The restaurant is equipped with ten pool tables, 14 dart boards, and dozens of TVs to catch all the major sporting events, the bar, the website says.
Police are investigating two shooting scenes.
CORRECTION: THE FIRST PICTURE FLOATING AROUND THE INTERNET OF A PEDOPHILE WAS A DIFFERENT ROBERT CARD.