Robert Card, the suspect in the US state of Maine mass shootings who allegedly killed 18 people and injured 13 others after going on a spree in the city of Lewiston, was found dead on Friday (Oct 27), according to Governor Janet Mills. This comes after law enforcement in the United States conducted a days-long, huge manhunt across the state.
What occurred?
According to accounts, the 40-year-old’s body was located in the woods in the neighboring town of Lisbon, which is just 13 kilometers distant from Lewiston, where the state’s most violent event of gun violence occurred.
The cops also discovered his abandoned vehicle there immediately after the shooting spree on Wednesday night. “He is dead,” Mills said during a press conference, praising the hundreds of officers from several agencies who assisted in the hunt.
She added, “Like many people, I am breathing a sigh of relief tonight, knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone… Now is the time to heal.” Mills also said that she has informed President Joe Biden and the state’s lawmakers of the news.
The governor’s confirmation came after various reports, citing unnamed law enforcement officials, indicated Card died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
A manhunt that lasted days
The mass shooting in Maine spurred a 48-hour manhunt involving hundreds of officials from law enforcement organizations across the United States, ranging from local police and sheriff’s deputies to the FBI and the United States Coast Guard.
Authorities claimed they were pursuing more than 530 tips and leads on Card’s suspected locations as of early Friday, and they had even sent officers along the Androscoggin River in nearby Lisbon, where divers used sonar to seek evidence – or a body.
Officials had also withdrawn the shelter-in-place order for the Lewiston region, which had closed schools and businesses and kept tens of thousands of people at home while the culprit remained at large.
All 18 victims have been identified
On Friday, police identified all 18 people who were slain after the 40-year-old allegedly attacked a restaurant and a bowling alley.
A couple and wife in their 70s were among the dead, as was a 14-year-old child killed alongside his father, a volunteer bowling instructor, and a manager at the bar, which the suspect is said to have visited previously.
The card is accused of killing seven individuals at Just-In-Time Recreation and eight more at Schemengees Bar and Grille.
