Maine Mass Shooting Suspect Found Dead as Police Investigate Motive
- AP Photo/Javier Arciga
United States – The suspect of mass shooting that killing 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, United States was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot on Friday, ending an intensive two-day search that had the state on edge.
Robert Card, a firearms instructor who grew up in the area, was found dead in nearby Lisbon Falls, Governor Janet Mills said at a Friday night news conference.
“Like many people I’m breathing a sigh of relief tonight knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone,” Mills remarked.
Sosok tersangka Robert R. Card, pelaku penembakan massal di sebuah bar dan arena
- AP Photo.
Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said that Card was found at 7:45 p.m. local time, near the Androscoggin River, about 8 miles from the scene of the second shooting on Wednesday night.
He declined to divulge the location, but an official said that the remains were at a recycling center, where Card had recently worked.
Leo Madden, who said he ran Maine Recycling Corp. for decades, said that Card had worked there for several years, but he was either fired or never worked again.
"He was a good employee," Madden said, adding that nothing stood out about the man during his time as an employee.
Mills said that he had called President Joe Biden to inform him that Card had passed away.
"Tonight we are grateful that Lewiston and surrounding communities are safe after spending agonizing days hiding in their homes," Biden said in a statement.
Korban Penembakan Brutal di Maine, AS
- AP Photo/Javier Arciga
He added that Americans should not have to live like this and called on Congress to take action against gun violence.
Card, originally from Bowdoin, Maine, was a US Army reservist who underwent a mental health evaluation in mid-July, after he began acting erratically during training, a United States official said.
Card has also been wanted since Wednesday night's shooting, and a murder warrant has been issued for him.
A bulletin sent to police across the country shortly after the attack said Card had been admitted to a mental health facility for two weeks last summer after he heard strange noises and threats to shoot up a military base.
A United States official said Card was training with the 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment of the Army at West Point, New York, but commanders began to worry about his mental health.
State police eventually took Card to Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point for evaluation, according to the official.
