Death toll reportedly rises to 16
The Associated Press, citing anonymous law enforcement officials, is reporting that at least 16 people have been killed in the Lewiston shootings. Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press dozens of people also had been wounded.
Local officials continue to encourage people in Lewiston to lock their doors and shelter in place. A county wide alert was sent out in the last hour.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office has released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page. The images show a gunman walking into a building with a weapon raised to his shoulder.
On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.
Key events
It’s now 2.15am in Lewiston, Maine. The search for person of interest Robert Card is ongoing with police saying hundreds of officers are taking part.
At least 16 people have been reportedly killed in the two shootings in the city, with police sources saying that number is likely to rise.
The citizens of Lewiston and the nearby town of Lisbon remain under shelter in place orders, with authorities advising people to stay inside with their doors locked.
We’re going to pause our live blog now, but for all the latest details you can read our wrap of the evening’s events here:
The mayor of Auburn – Lewiston’s sister city located on the other side of the Androscoggin river – has spoken about the shooting.
Jason Levesque said he spoke to witnesses of the shootings, saying that there were people of all ages in the immediate vicinity of the shootings. He described the “trauma and turmoil” of the witnesses.
You can train for this, but you can never be completely prepared. But I’ve been talking to a lot of our officers tonight and we should all be very proud of them””
Levesque was speaking outside the reunification centre where family members could collect people affected by the shooting.
Watch: Maine’s public safety commissioner names person of interest in Lewiston mass shooting
Mike Sauschuck addresses the media to confirm that Robert Card is being sought as a “person of interest” with hundreds of police taking part in the manhunt.
US president Joe Biden spoke by phone individually to Maine governor Janet Mills, as well as Maine senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and congressman Jared Golden, the White House said.
The president offered full federal support in the wake of the shooting that left at least 16 people dead, according to police sources.
Hundreds of police are taking part in a manhunt for person of interest Robert Card while residents in Lewiston and the neighbouring town of Lisbon have been ordered to shelter in place.
Two law enforcement officials told the Associated Press news agency that the death toll was expected to rise. However, Michael Sauschuck, commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, declined to provide a specific estimate at a news conference, calling it a “fluid situation.”
All municipal building in Lewiston will be closed on Thursday, according to the city’s official Facebook account, as the manhunt for the suspect behind Wednesdays shootings continues.
Lewiston’s city hall is among the buildings closed and the city advises that all programs and events are cancelled as well.
Non-emergency personnel have been advised to stay at home.
A resident of Lewiston has told the BBC that she’s never seen so much activity in the city, after it was placed under lockdown following the shootings earlier on Wednesday.
Billie Jayne Cooke said she was leaving a public event on Wednesday evening when she first heard of the attack.
The entire ride home was just solid sirens, one siren after another. Helicopters, sirens, I’ve never heard so much activity in my life in this city.
We have police from all over the state, from out of the state, coming up … It just crazy. I can’t process this because it just seems so unimaginable.”
A witness to the shooting at the bowling alley in Lewiston has told CNN there was a large police presence outside Sparetime Recreation after the incident.
Nichoel Wyman Arel said she saw officers patting people down as they came out of the bowling alley. She said she saw a person who looked as if they “had blood all over them” but couldn’t tell if they were injured themselves.
Arel said there were “families pouring out of [the bowling alley].”
Hundreds of police are continuing to search for “person of interest” Robert Card. Residents of Lewiston and the nearby town of Lisbon have been told to shelter in place while the manhunt is ongoing.
Summary
It’s now 1am in Lewiston, Maine. Here’s what we know so far about the shootings there:
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At least 16 people have been reported killed and dozens wounded after a gunman opening fire at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, the second-largest city in Maine, on Wednesday evening.
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Lewiston police have named Robert Card as a “person of interest” and said he should be considered “armed and dangerous”. An active manhunt involving hundreds of officer is under way.
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Card is a firearms instructor at a US army reserve training facility in Maine, according to a state police bulletin seen by the AP news agency.
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Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of a suspect on its Facebook page that showed a shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to their shoulder.
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Authorities asked residents to stay inside with their doors locked and to keep off the roads to allow emergency responders to get to hospitals. A vehicle belonging to Card was located in the town of Lisbon, a few kilometres outside Lewiston. Authorities have extended the shelter in place orders to the town.
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Central Maine Medical Center said its staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.
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US president Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting and offered full federal support to the state, a White House official said.
A spokesperson for Walmart has told US media that there was no shooting at one of the company’s distribution centres in Lewiston on Wednesday.
Some media had reported that the Walmart centre was the site of a third shooting, but the spokesperson said that the building was locked down and later given an all clear by police after no suspects or victims were found.
Lewiston Police confirmed there were shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley.
Maine’s Sun Journal reports that Lewiston schools went into lockdown while parent-teacher conferences were taking place on Wednesday evening.
The newspaper reports that most schools in the area will be closed on Thursday, including those in Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon, Durham, Brunswic, Mt Ararat, Poland, Minot, Mechanic Falls and Winthrop.
Bates College in Lewiston also remained on lockdown Wednesday night and cancelled classes for the following day, according to the Sun Journal.
Here are some of the images coming out of Lewiston tonight.
