U.S. army reservist suspected in Lewiston, Maine, shootings found dead,
likely suicide
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[October 28, 2023]
By Gabriella Borter
LEWISTON, Maine (Reuters) - A U.S. Army reservist accused of spraying a
bowling alley and bar with gunfire in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18
people, was found dead after a 48-hour manhunt, restoring calm to
communities unnerved by the bloodshed but leaving many questions
unanswered.
The body of Robert R. Card, 40, was discovered on Friday night in a
wooded area within the neighboring town of Lisbon Falls, near where
police found his abandoned getaway vehicle shortly after the shooting
spree on Wednesday night, police said.
Card appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Maine
Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck told reporters at a late-night
briefing. He did not say how long the suspect was thought to have been
dead or what led authorities to locate his body.
Sauschuck said police would have more to say at a news conference set
for 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on Saturday.
A total of 18 people perished and 13 others were wounded in Wednesday
night's carnage, which began when the gunman opened fire with a rifle
inside the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, then launched another
attack minutes later at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant a few miles
away.
Officials have made no mention of a possible motive for the gun
violence, nor have they revealed the contents of a note by the gunman
that police said they found after the rampage.
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The shootings and prolonged manhunt terrorized the normally bustling but
serene community of Lewiston, a former textile hub and the second-most
populous city in Maine. It lies on the banks of the Androscoggin River,
about 35 miles (56 km) north of the state's largest city, Portland.
Many business owners in Lewiston and adjacent communities closed shop in
the immediate aftermath of the shooting, while authorities shuttered
schools and issued directives urging some 40,000 area residents to
remain indoors and off the streets as a precaution.
The "shelter-in-place" orders had been lifted Friday evening, a few
hours before news broke that Card's body had been found, after police
said they had determined that the greatest immediate threat to public
safety had abated.
"Like many people, I am breathing a sigh of relief tonight, knowing that
Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone," Maine Governor Janet Mills
said as his death was announced. "Now is the time to heal."
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![](../images/102823PIX/news_d64.jpg)
A view of the scene where the body of Robert Card, the suspect in
the mass shootings in Lewiston, was found in Lisbon Falls, Maine,
U.S., October 27, 2023. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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Card, an Army Reserve sergeant from the nearby town of Bowdoin, has
been described by authorities as a trained firearms instructor who
served as a petroleum supply specialist when on duty at the military
reserve base in Saco, Maine.
Law enforcement officials also said he had a history of mental
illness and was committed to a psychiatric facility for two weeks
during the summer of 2023, after which he was released.
Within hours of Wednesday night's bloodshed, police circulated
surveillance camera photos from one of the crime scenes of a bearded
man wearing a brown, hooded sweatshirt and jeans and carrying what
appeared to be a semi-automatic rifle.
The initial trail of clues led to Lisbon town, about 7 miles (11 km)
to the southeast of Lewiston, where Maine State Police found a white
SUV they believed Card had abandoned at a boat launch on the river.
Lisbon Falls, where Card was found dead, is the next town along the
river. CNN, citing a law enforcement source, said the suspect's body
was located near a recycling center where he had worked and had
recently been fired from.
As part of their search for Card, police trawled the waters of the
Androscoggin River with divers and sonar on Friday, and sent teams
of officers door-to-door in neighborhood canvasses seeking
additional clues and possible eyewitnesses.
Earlier in the day, authorities for the first time officially
released the names and ages of the slain, including four deaf people
who had been competing in a beanbag-tossing tournament at the bar
and grill, a father-and-son pair of bowlers, a part-time bowling
alley worker who tried to confront the shooter with a knife, and an
elderly couple aged 76 and 73.
(Reporting by Gabriella Borter in Lewiston, Maine; Additional
reporting by Julia Harte and Jonathan Allen in New York, Rich McKay
in Atlanta and Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Writing by
Steve Gorman; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
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