A massive manhunt is underway in the US state of Maine for a gunman who killed at least 16 people and wounded dozens more in a shooting spree at a bowling alley and a bar on Wednesday night.
The suspect, identified as Robert Card, a certified firearms instructor and a US Army Reserve member, was captured on surveillance video entering the bowling alley in Lewiston with a semi-automatic rifle and opening fire on the patrons.
The shooting was the deadliest mass shooting this year in America and one of the worst in the country’s history.
Witnesses described scenes of panic and horror as people ran for their lives or hid behind the bowling machines. One survivor said he thought the gunfire was a balloon popping at first, until he saw the shooter.
Card then fled the scene and remained at large as of Thursday morning. Police said he was armed and dangerous and urged residents to stay indoors and report any sightings of him.
Police also said they were investigating another shooting at a bar in Lewiston, where several people were killed or injured. They did not confirm if the two incidents were related, but they said they were working on multiple crime scenes across the state.
Lewiston city councilor Robert McCarthy told CNN that as many as 22 people may have died in the rampage, but other officials said the death toll was at least 16.
Maine public safety official Mike Sauschuck said hundreds of police officers were involved in the search for Card and that they were receiving assistance from federal agencies.
President Joe Biden expressed his condolences to the victims and their families and offered federal support to the state authorities. He also called for urgent action to address the gun violence epidemic in the country.