TRANSCRIPT
Until now, Lewiston's been known as the second largest city in the US state of Maine.
But now, it's become famous for another reason.
"This is an ABC News special report. Good evening, I'm Juju Chang at ABC News headquarters here in New York. And we're interrrupting your regular programming with breaking news. We're learning details about what officials are calling a mass casualty event, playing out in Lewiston, Maine..."
Mike Sauschuck is the Department of Public Safety Commissioner. He says at least 22 people have been killed and 50 to 60 wounded in the shootings at a bowling alley and a bar.
He's advised residents to lock their doors and stay inside.
"A couple of shooting incidents occurred here with multiple casualties in the city of Lewiston... The shelter in place order that currently stands in Lewiston remains."
The Central Maine Medical Centre in Lewiston has issued a statement saying it's "reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event" and is coordinating with area hospitals to take patients.
Mike Sauschuck says 40 year old Robert Card has been identified as a person of interest in the shootings. Hundreds of officers have joined in the manhunt for the suspect.
A police intelligence bulletin circulated to officials after the shootings has described Card as someone who was trained as a firearms instructor at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Maine, and who'd been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023.
The document didn't provide specific details about his treatment or condition. The Commissioner says he's not prepared to say anything further about the suspect at this time.
"Well Mr Card, who we're speaking about right now, is a person of interest and a person of interest only. I'm not listing him as a suspect at this point, and we're not prepared to go into his background or anything else that we may be aware of."
If the death toll of 22 is confirmed, the massacre would be the deadliest in the United States since at least August 2019, when a gunman opened fire on shoppers at an El Paso Walmart with an AK-47 rifle, killing 23 in a shooting that prosecutors branded an anti-Hispanic hate crime.
The deadliest U.S. mass shooting on record is the massacre of 58 people by a gunman firing on a Las Vegas country music festival from a high-rise hotel perch in 2017.
Political leaders in Maine and the United States have posted statements online saying they're horrified by this mass shooting.
And in a prelude to the gun control debate that could potentially follow in the coming days, Representative Jim McGovern from Massachusetts has posted a message on his social media that says "too many communities know this pain. Too many lives cut short. Too many families torn apart."
This Lewiston resident has told CBS 13 News that she wouldn't wish that pain on anyone.
"This is an overwhelming situation. I don't think we've ever had anything like this... and I'll tell you, my insides are just sick over this."
