Manhunt Ends as Maine Massacre Suspect Is Found Dead
The shooter suspected in the deaths of 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday night has been found dead, law enforcement said late Friday night.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the news of Robert Card’s death in a post to Facebook at 9:20 p.m. Friday.
Maine’s Gov. Janet Mills confirmed the information in a news conference about an hour later.
“Maine State Police have located the body of Robert Card in Lisbon. He is dead,” she told reporters. “I’ve called President Biden to inform him about his news.”
A relief, I’m sure, but this is also probably going to deny people some much-needed explanations, which is a shame. Pray for peace, healing and comfort for all those with unanswered questions.https://t.co/Fti5IqrVTi
— The Upper Cut (@georgeupper) October 28, 2023
Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck told Boston’s WBTS that it appeared Card had shot himself.
His precise time of death was not immediately known.
Card is suspected of having killed 18 and wounded 13 others during incidents at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, forcing a shelter-in-place order for Androscoggin County and part of adjoining Sagadahoc County that wasn’t lifted until early Friday.
The body was found at Maine Recycling, where Card had previously worked, according to Leo Madden, the company’s owner.
“It will take a long, long time to process this pain, but Maine people have grit, resolve and heart and we will come together through this difficult grieving period and hope for brighter, calmer days,” said Sen. Angus King in a statement cited by The New York Times.
A local politician whose son was killed in the shootings, however, said that the suspect’s having been found dead left him with “no closure.”
“The feeling with me is no closure,” Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker said in a text message Friday night, according to the Times. “I was hoping for them to find him alive.”
The Wednesday shootings were the most deadly in the U.S. in over a year, when 19 children and two of their teachers were gunned down at a school in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022.
The 18 victims in Lewiston ranged in age from as young as 14 to as old as 76, the Times reported.
If you or someone you know needs help, please contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling 988, call the National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741 anytime.
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