Last Updated: October 27, 2023 07:38 AM
Published: October 27, 2023 07:38 AM
At least 18 people were killed in shootings at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, sparking a massive search for the suspect.
Late Thursday, heavily armed law enforcement backed by a police helicopter had surrounded a home and told anyone who might be inside to surrender, but authorities eventually left without indicating anyone had been taken into custody.
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Search for suspected shooter prompts dread in Maine
The ongoing search for Robert Card, an Army reservist who authorities say fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Maine, has prompted dread around the state.
Much of Thursday’s search focused on a large property belonging to one of Card’s relatives in rural Bowdoin, where concerned locals said Card could have the upper hand in navigating the rural, wooded area that he knows well.
In Portland, some restaurants and bars closed their doors, bringing an unusual early evening quiet to the typically bustling downtown of the state’s largest city.
One popular seafood joint posted a sign on its door saying it would remain closed while the staff awaited word on the manhunt. Another restaurant canceled reservations Thursday “for the safety of our guests and staff.”
Lewiston schools will be closed Friday
Lewiston Public Schools will be closed again on Friday, according to a post by Superintendent Jake Langlais on the district’s website.
“We remain in a shelter in place situation,” the post said. “We will not open buildings or run bus transportation.”
The superintendent said students and staff have been directly impacted by the shooting and the events since 7 p.m. Wednesday are “unimaginable.”
School officials in Maine’s largest city of Portland will decide by 5 a.m. Friday whether to open based on information received from police, according to a post on the district’s website.
Bates College in Lewiston also canceled classes Friday and postponed the inauguration of the school’s first Black president, Garry Jenkins, the school’s website said.