Maine mass shooting: Lewiston police name Robert Card as person of interest

Robert Card, the person of interest in the Maine shootings, has been confirmed as a Sergeant First Class in the US Army Reserve and is a Petroleum Supply Specialist.

He enlisted in December 2002 and has had no combat deployments, according to Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee.

Card’s awards include the Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal x2, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.

Ahead of this morning’s update from the Governor of Maine and the State Police, Rachel Sharp reports on everything we know up to this point on the latest act of horrific gun violence to hit the US and the ongoing manhunt for the shooter.

The mother of a 23-year-old man has told The Washington Post that her son was hit four times when the gunman opened fire at the Schemengees Bar & Grille and is now in critical condition.

Jessica Karcher said that her son, Justin Karcher from Auburn, Maine, has undergone emergency surgery and is now on a ventilator.

Ms Karcher told the outlet that the doctors “have to keep resuscitating him” and that “he’s not out of the woods”. She plans to visit him at the intensive care unit this morning and has been anxiously waiting for more news.

In July 2019, Justin witnessed a man fatally shoot his father, Jean Donald Fournier, in a Walmart parking lot.

Governor Janet Mills and Maine State Police will hold a press conference at Lewiston City Hall at 10.30am to provide the public with an update on the incident, fatalities, and the hunt for the shooter.

Justin Juray, the owner of the bowling alley targeted by the gunman, confirmed that he and his wife managed to escape the gunfire.

“Just an update for everyone. Samantha and I were able to get out unharmed. Please pray for everyone else that was less fortunate,” he said in a post on his Facebook page.

Mr Juray told The New York Times that there were about 100 to 150 people, including 20 children, at the bowling alley at the time of the mass shooting.

He described what he saw as “total chaos”.

A co-owner of the bar in Lewiston, Maine, where a gunman carried out a shooting rampage has spoken out of the “nightmare” after a “fun night playing cornhole” turned into a tragedy.

Kathy Lebel co-owns Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant – the second location targeted by the mass shooter on Wednesday night.

She told The Lewiston Sun Journal outside a local hospital that she wasn’t at the bar at the time but heard how her staff and patrons ran for their lives when a gunman entered and opened fire.

“It was just a fun night playing cornhole… it’s the last thing you’re expecting, right?” she said.

“I still feel like this whole thing is a nightmare.”

Maine does not have a red flag law – a law which prevents individuals who may be a threat to themselves or to others from purchasing or possessing firearms.

In 2015, the state actually repealed one of the few gun safety laws it had, loosening gun control by allowing people to carry hidden, loaded guns without a permit.

Everytown Gun Safety writes: “To become a safer state, Maine should require background checks and enact an Extreme Risk law, also known as a red flag law, to empower families and law enforcement to prevent firearm suicides.”