2023-10-26 11:17:55
In a small town in the northeast, a gunman opens fire. Several people are killed and dozens are said to be injured. The police are searching for the perpetrator with a large contingent.
A gunman caused a bloodbath in a small town in the northeastern United States, leaving several people dead and injured. There were several victims, said a police spokesman in Lewiston, Maine. He didn’t give any numbers. The situation is still too unclear.
Citing security circles, the media reported around 20 dead and up to 60 injured. City councilor Robert McCarthy told CNN that according to the city administration’s findings, there were 22 dead and “many, many more injured.” There was initially no official confirmation of this. The shooter is on the run. A major manhunt is underway.
Shooter is a firearms instructor
“We have literally hundreds of police officers on duty,” said a police spokesman. Investigators are looking for a 40-year-old man who is considered “armed and dangerous.” According to the media, he can be seen in photos from surveillance cameras with an assault rifle. Roadblocks were set up and helicopters were requested.
Lewiston has a population of just under 40,000 and is located in the state of Maine, about 200 kilometers north of Boston on the east coast of the USA. The place is otherwise very peaceful, and Maine has rarely been confronted with serious cases of gun violence compared to other US states, the reports said.
The man is said to be a military-trained firearms instructor who was receiving psychiatric treatment over the summer. So far nothing is known about possible motives.
Attacks in multiple locations
The authorities are calling on the population to stay indoors and not go out on the streets. Shops and restaurants were advised to close. The schools should also remain closed. “Please continue to seek shelter or get to safety,” the school board said in a statement.
The police authorities in the city of Lewiston and Androscoggin County said emergency services responded to shots fired in several locations. The police released surveillance camera images of a suspected shooter. It showed a man with a gun pointed at him.
In the USA, rampages and fatal shootings are sadly part of everyday life. Firearms are easily available there and are widely circulated. Bloody attacks – for example at schools, in supermarkets, nightclubs or at large events – regularly shock the country with many victims. This regularly leads to discussions about tightening gun laws, but so far without success.
Police found the shooter’s car
The first emergency calls were received at 6:56 p.m. local time, the police said. The shooter, dressed in a brown top or jacket, opened fire in a leisure center with bowling alleys and in a barbecue restaurant.
A witness told ABC that her 11-year-old daughter was bowling when the first shots were fired. “I lay over her to protect her,” she said. About ten kilometers from Lewiston, the police found the car they were looking for, a small white SUV.
Politicians are dismayed
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline was shocked. “I am heartbroken for our city and our people,” he wrote in a statement. The place is known for its strength and courage. “We will need both in the coming days,” he added.
The mayor of the neighboring city of Auburn, Jason Levesque, also expressed his dismay. Fear, panic and concern had spread among residents, he told reporters. “You can train for something like this, but you can never be fully prepared,” he added. Auburn is about 1.5 kilometers from Lewiston.
“It’s just so unreal,” said Councilman McCarthy. “You see it on the news and you tell yourself it’s never going to happen here. And then it happens here, and it just blows your mind.” McCarthy said the small town’s hospitals weren’t equipped to handle a situation like this – “they’re doing what they can.” The situation is surreal. “It’s just so unreal,” McCarthy said.
US President Joe Biden pledged full support to the state of Maine. The White House said Biden spoke by phone with Maine Governor Janet Mills, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins and Congressman Jared Golden.
Governor Mills appealed to residents via Network X (formerly known as Twitter): “I urge all people in the area to follow the instructions of state and local security forces.”
dpa
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