Maine hit by worst shooting in US this year

LEWISTON/WASHINGTON — Police fanned out across the state of Maine hunting for a man wanted in connection with mass shootings at a bar and a bowling alley in the city of Lewiston, in one of the worst gun violence cases this year.

At least 22 people were killed in the shootings on Wednesday night, Xinhua reported, citing multiple sources. The Associated Press put the toll at 16.

Around 50 to 60 more were injured at several locations, according to law enforcement officials.

A massive search was underway on Thursday for the gunman, identified as Robert Card, 40. Police said Card was seen in surveillance footage pointing a semi-automatic weapon with an extended clip as he walked into a bowling alley.

Card is a certified firearms instructor and a member of the United States Army Reserve, CNN reported, citing law enforcement sources.

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said in a statement: "I am 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."

A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety urged residents to stay in their homes with their doors locked.

Governor Janet Mills released a statement echoing those instructions. She said she has been briefed on the situation and will remain in contact with public safety officials.

Local newspaper the Sun Journal, citing a police spokesperson, reported shootings at a third location, a Walmart distribution center.

Rescue vehicles rushed in from around central Maine to tend to the wounded, Lewiston city councilor Robert McCarthy said, and the two Lewiston hospitals "have called in every off-duty staff member that they could to deal with this".

A photo of the suspect shown carrying an automatic weapon was released on social media after he opened fire at the bowling alley and bar in the state's second-largest city. Lewiston's population was listed as slightly above 37,000 in the 2020 census.

Police issued a notice for the suspect, saying that he "should be considered armed and dangerous". "Please contact law enforcement if you are aware of his whereabouts."

The Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed a gunman walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.

The FBI Boston Division said in a statement that it was also working with local, state and federal law enforcement officials in response to the shootings.

Maine does not require permits to carry guns, and the state has a long-standing culture of gun ownership that is tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting.

Federal support

US President Joe Biden called Maine's governor and several local lawmakers to offer federal support in the wake of the deadly shootings, the White House said.

Gun violence is common in the US, where there are more guns than people and where attempts to clamp down on their spread are always met with stiff resistance, Agence France-Presse reported.

The US has recorded over 500 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nongovernmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed.

Wednesday's attack was the deadliest mass shooting this year, according to figures from the archive.

Efforts to tighten gun controls have for years run up against opposition from Republicans, staunch defenders of the constitutional right to bear arms.

The political paralysis endures despite widespread outrage over recurring shootings.

Agencies, Heng Weili in New York and Xinhua contributed to this story.