Maine shooting suspect found dead after 48-hour manhunt
The body of Robert Card, the army reservist accused of killing 18 people in a shooting rampage, has been found in the woods in horrific circumstances. Warning: Graphic
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The man accused of killing at least 18 people and injuring 13 others in the American state of Maine has reportedly been found dead in the woods just 12km from Lewiston.
The body of Robert Card, a 40-year-old US Army reservist, was found with a gunshot wound to the head that authorities say appears to have been self-inflicted.
US media said his body, found in Lisbon Falls, southeast of Lewiston, was in a wooded area near a recycling center that was his place of employment before he lost his job there.
The discovery follows an intensive two-day manhunt, in which local authorities received at least 530 tips — including possible sightings — after he fled the scene.
It follows reports the gun believed to have been used in the attack was legally purchased just days before Card was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
Maine public safety commissioner Mike Sauschuck said he could not immediately say when Card shot himself.
“I’m breathing a sigh of relief tonight knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone,” governor Janet Mills told a hastily called news conference.
The sentiment was echoed by US Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who said on X, formerly Twitter, that President Joe Biden called her “to tell me the perpetrator of the heinous attacks in Lewiston had been found.” She, too, said “Mainers can breathe a collective sigh of relief” that first responders succeeded in efforts “to find this killer.”
Police were reportedly called to the military base where the suspect served in July because he was drunk and disorderly and it’s believed he was taken to hospital.
He reportedly told others on the base that he was “hearing voices” and thinking about “hurting other soldiers”, while witnesses say he was “behaving erratically”.
The weapon was a Ruger SFAR, which is a rifle that uses .308 ammunition widely used for hunting. Identifying victims has been difficult because many were shot in the head.
However, details have emerged of some of the victims of the largest mass shooting of 2023 so far, including a retired mechanic who was a children’s bowling coach.
BOB AND LUCY VIOLETTE
Bob Violette and his wife Lucy were among the 18 people killed after a man entered the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille, according to his daughter-in-law Cassandra.
Mr Violette grew up in Lewiston, where the shooting occurred, and married his wife almost 50 years ago. They shared three sons, Andrew, Tom, and John, and six grandchildren.
The 76-year-old also set up a youth bowling league at Sparetime Recreation – which was one of the places targeted in the mass shooting.
He spent his time coaching kids at bowling, and he was remembered as someone who “passed away doing what he loved”.
“He wouldn’t let you walk out the door without giving him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. He was just there for everything,” Cassandra told the Portland Press Herald
Mr Violette loved his wife, and his “first thought every day was her” and also loved his grandchildren dearly, Cassandra said.
According to the outlet, Mr Violette was trying to protect kids at the bowling alley, and his wife Lucy was injured on Wednesday night.
“Bob Violette was one of the kindest souls in the bowling community in Lewiston. He would have done anything for the kids in the community and he genuinely loved coaching them,” friend Brandon Dubuc wrote.
TRICIA ASSELIN
Tricia Asselin, 53, the second confirmed victim, was a part-time worker at the Lewiston bowling alley. She was bowling when the gunman came in and opened fire.
Ms Asselin’s brother DJ Johnson confirmed her death to CNN, and said that his other sister was also at the bowling alley but she was able to escape.
Mr Johnson said his sister Tricia “was the rock of the family” and “kept everyone on an even keel”.
“If there was an argument going on, she would be the one to calm everyone down,” he said.
“If somebody was having a bad day, she would be right on the phone to talk to you about it.
“What I’m told is that when it all started happening, she ran up to the counter and started to call 911, and that’s when she was shot.
“That was just her. She wasn’t going to run. She was going to try and help.”
Maine Police Colonel William Ross said that seven of the victims were found at the SpareTime bowling alley: one female and six males, all suffering apparent gunshot wounds.
Another eight victims were found at Schemengees Bar and Grille: seven males were discovered inside and one outside, all also with apparent bullet wounds.
JOSEPH WALKER
Leroy Walker, whose son Joseph managed Schemengees Bar and Grille where multiple people died, said his son is was also killed.
His father told ABC News that his son attempted to go after the gunman with a butcher knife before he was fatally shot twice in the stomach.
BILL BRACKETT
Bill Brackett was confirmed as one of the victims by his father, William Brackett, who said his son was part of a gathering of deaf people playing cornhole at Schemengees Bar & Grill.
BRYAN MACFARLANE
Bryan MacFarlane, 40, was killed at Schemengees Bar & Grille while playing cornhole, his sister Keri told CNN. She said he was part of the “tight-knit” local deaf community who gather there on Wednesdays to play the game.
Bryan MacFarlane pic.twitter.com/5hsiEd2EkS
— Newtown Action Alliance (@NewtownAction) October 26, 2023
STEVEN VOZZELLA
Steven Vozzella was confirmed as one of the victims by his brother Nick Vozzella. He too was at the gathering for deaf people.
PEYTON BREWER-ROSS
Peyton Brewer-Ross has been identified as one of the victims of the Lewiston shootings. His employer, Bath Iron Works confirmed his death on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“Peyton was a valuable part of our team… He was hired just five years ago and was making a positive impact on our company. He will be sorely missed,” Bath Iron Works said.
MICHAEL DESLAURIERS II
Michael Deslauriers was bowling with family and friends at Sparetime Recreation at the time of the shootings. Michael’s father confirms he is one of the deceased.
ARTHUR STROUT
Father-of-three Arthur Strout, 42, was killed in a shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grill in Lewiston, Maine.
He was playing pool at the bar with his father before the shooting. His father left before the gunman arrived, reports CBS News.
His wife Kristy Strout, who described Arthur as a “great dad”, said she was “angry my husband is dead and he’s (gunman) running free”.
“I hope they catch this person,” she said.
“(Arthur’s) helped me raise my children since they were very, very little. His daughter’s only 13 and without a dad because of all of this. Because of one man’s choices, my daughter has to grow up without a father.”
‘I KNOW HE’S DEAD’: FAMILIES WAIT FOR ANSWERS
Meanwhile, survivors and family members of victims have begun speaking out following the massacre at a Maine bowling alley and nearby bar, which left 18 people dead and 13 injured.
Firearms expert and National Guard reservist Robert Card entered both establishments and begun firing. Card, who has been charged so far with eight counts of murder, remains on the run.
A distraught Maine councillor has said he knows his son is among the dead – though authorities are yet to confirm – while a 10-year-old girl whose leg was grazed by a bullet has asked “why do people do this?”
“I know it as well as I know I’m standing here telling you because he’s not here and he’s not at any other hospital and he’s not running the streets or he would have called us, because he manages Schemengees, so I know he was there.”
Meanwhile, 10-year-old Zoey questioned “why do people do this?” as she sat beside her mother the morning after they survived the shocking attack at the bowling alley as their city remains on lockdown.
“I never thought I’d grow up and get a bullet in my leg,” Zoey told CNN. “Like, why do people do this?
"It's something that you think would never happen."
— ABC News (@ABC) October 26, 2023
Zoey, age 10, says she was worried about whether she was going to survive after her leg was grazed by a bullet in the Maine mass shooting Wednesday night.https://t.co/5xsk2ZUILopic.twitter.com/bdZWbE0euL
“I was more worried about, like, am I going to live and I going to make it out of here. Like, what’s going to happen? Are the cops going to come?”
Riley Dumont, was in the bowling alley with her daughter, and her parents, including her retired police officer father who leapt into action and saved several people’s lives.
“I heard a really loud bang. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but my dad looked at me,” Dumont told ABC in the US.
“Next thing I know, he was just taking the group that we were in and just corralling us in the corner,” she said.
“He put tables over us and just made sure we were safe. He just kind of went into action at that point. It felt like it lasted forever.”
“I kind of laid on top of (my daughter), and my [mother] was kind of on top of me. We had two other kids with us and two other mothers as well.”
Justin Karcher, 23, is on a ventilator in intensive care after the shooting, according to his mother Jessica Karcher.
Doctors have to “keep resuscitating him” following emergency surgery, she told the Washington Post. “He’s not out of the woods.”
She added that her son witnessed his father being gunned down in a shopping centre car park in 2019.
“His father passed away in front of him,” Karcher said. “My head is pounding. I just called the hospital for an update. And of course, they don’t have one.”
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Originally published as Maine shooting suspect found dead after 48-hour manhunt
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