Authorities have named Robert Card, a 40-year-old Army reservist, as the suspect in a mass shooting that killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night.
Here’s what we know about the Card so far.
Card is still at large and named in an arrest warrant on eight counts of murder, Maine State Police Colonel William Ross said at a press conference Thursday morning. The counts are expected to rise to 18 as remaining victims are identified, Ross said.
In the press conference, Maine Gov. Janet Mills stated Card is still considered armed and dangerous and residents “should not approach him under any circumstances.”
Officials said Thursday they would not yet speak to Card’s possible motives, including his mental health history.
However, a police bulletin circulated by law enforcement Wednesday night and reported by the AP noted Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023.
The bulletin said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base, according to the AP, but did not provide details regarding his treatment or diagnosis.
A U.S. official who spoke to the AP on the condition on anonymity said commanders in the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment became concerned about Card’s erratic behavior and safety in mid-July while the unit was training at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
The commanders contacted the police, who then took Card for evaluation, the source said.
“Sgt. 1st Class Robert R. Card II is a Petroleum Supply Specialist in the Army Reserve, enlisting in December 2002,” said Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee. “He has no combat deployments.”
The bulletin also reportedly stated Card is assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.
Card was awarded with the Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal x2, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon, Dubee stated.
Card attended the University of Maine from 2001-2004, according to university spokesperson Eric Gordon, but did not complete his degree studies or graduate. He was a Engineering Technology major.
Card was last seen in a brown shirt and blue pants, according to police. Police issued a shelter-in-place advisory for Androscoggin County and Bowdoin in Sagadahoc County.
Police have not said if they have seen Card since the shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles away. The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect walking into the bowling alley with a rifle raised to his shoulder.
Investigators also haven’t said what weapon or weapons Card used in the shootings or how he obtained them.
Herald wire services contributed.
