Twenty dead in a shooting in Maine with the suspect on the run

Around twenty people have died in a shooting in the city of Lewiston, in the state of Maine, while the suspect fled and is still on the run, according to US media. Hundreds of police officers are searching for Robert Card, the identity of the main suspect according to authorities, who have recommended the population not to leave their homes.

There is no official data on the deceased. Mike Sauschuck, commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, did not want to confirm the death toll published by the media, which places the figure between 16, according to media such as The Washington Post or the Associated Press agency, and 22, according to the networks CNN, ABC and Fox News, which cite sources from the authorities. Local media also speak of around 50 injuries.

In images posted on social media by the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, a man with an assault rifle can be seen entering a bowling alley. The media reports that the events occurred in two places separated by about 6 kilometers: the Schemengees Bar & Grille restaurant and in a bowling alley in the city, which is the second largest in the state, with nearly 40,000 inhabitants.

Michael Sauschuck, of the Maine Department of Public Safety, clarified to the media that the incidents began at 6:56 p.m. State police have warned that the suspect “is considered dangerous and is armed.” According to the Associated Press, Card is believed to be a soldier in the US Army Reserve, the agency states, citing a police bulletin about the alleged perpetrator.

The local police have asked the population on social networks to seek refuge and stay “inside their homes with the doors closed.” Furthermore, the authorities have warned that it is an “active situation”, since the alleged perpetrator, aged around 40, has not yet been arrested, and they have published a photograph of him.

The authorities have also reported through

In addition, the FBI has reported on social networks that it is assisting the investigation, but did not provide further information about the event.

In a message on her X account, the state governor, Democrat Janet Mills, claimed to have been informed of the situation, and asked everyone in the area to follow the recommendations of the authorities.

According to the White House, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, has already been informed and is awaiting the news that comes from the scene of the event.