2023-10-26 04:33:00
At least 22 people were killed and dozens injured in two shootings in the US state of Maine on Wednesday evening.
• Read also: Killing in Lewiston: the population terrified and looking for answers
The events occurred in Lewiston, a town of 36,000 residents located a four and a half hour drive from Montreal.
Police, firefighters and paramedics were first called to a bowling alley around 7:15 p.m. for an active shooter, the local daily reported Sun Journal.
The rest in a restaurant
Shortly afterward, authorities received reports of a second shooting at a restaurant about a 10-minute drive away.
He entered the restaurant and “started shooting,” establishment owner Kathy Lebel told the daily. “It seems like this is still a nightmare.”
Several American media outlets reported that at least 22 people were dead and dozens more were injured.
The police had not released an official report on the number of victims as of Wednesday evening at the time of publication.
A municipal councilor who lives half a kilometer from the bowling alley told CNN that he was frightened by the events, as he lives near a wooded area. “We blocked all the doors, we grabbed our weapons and we are waiting,” Robert McCarthy told CNN.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released a photo of a suspect who was still at large around 11:30 p.m.
A bearded man can be seen near what appears to be the entrance to a bowling alley, pointing a weapon resembling an assault rifle.
My heart breaks for the people of Lewiston, Maine tonight — the latest community mourning lives lost to gun violence.
Weapons of war have no place on America’s streets. How many more gun deaths must we suffer before this country comes to its senses?
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) October 26, 2023
Citizens urged to barricade themselves
Robert Card, a man in his 40s, was identified as the suspect by authorities. According to CBS, he is a firearms instructor who is part of a US Army reserve.
He recently reported suffering from mental health issues, such as hearing voices in his head, and threatened to carry out a shooting at a National Guard base in Maine.
Law enforcement also released a photo of a white Subaru Outback, taken from a surveillance camera, in hopes of finding the shooter, considered armed and dangerous.
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said weapons of war “have no place on the streets of America.”
Excluding suicides, more than 15,000 people have died from firearms since the start of the year in the country.
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