1 of 4 | Authorities in Maine said they will search a river near where a vehicle was found as Robert Card, the suspect in a shooting in Lewiston that left 18 people dead, was still at large. Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA-EFE
Oct. 27 (UPI) — The suspect in the mass shooting rampage that killed 18 in Maine has been found dead, law-enforcement officials said late Friday.
Authorities said Robert Card was discovered in woods near Lisbon, about eight miles from Lewiston, Maine, where the shootings took place Wednesday.
His discovery was reported Friday evening by multiple news organizations, including CNN, ABC and CBS.
Multiple reports said his body was found near a recycling center where he previously had worked. The Portland Press Herald reported witnesses describing him as having appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot.
Earlier in the day, the search for Card focused on a river near where his car had been found, police said.
At the time, Lewiston Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck warned at a news conference that Card was an Army reservist suspected of carrying out the slayings and that he was possibly capable of surviving on the run and remained a threat.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted in Lewiston, Lisbon, and Bowdoin late in the day, though a hunting ban remained in effect in many areas.
Aerial teams had planned to search above the waters of the Androscoggin River, while officers were searching the land nearby.
“The car was located there. Evidence was located in the vehicle right along the shores of the Androscoggin River. So that’s the stuff we want to make sure we’re checking,” Sauschuck said.
He confirmed a note was found during a previous search but did not provide details about its contents.
Also on Friday, investigators continued to process the bowling alley and bar where 18 people were fatally shot and 13 were injured.
Sauschuck said more than 530 tips and leads have come in and examining the crime scenes is taking time.
“We’re going to be processing every square inch of these facilities,” Sauschuck said. “Not only do you have the victims in question, but every one of those rounds that got fired needs to be investigated. Every one of those cartridges that lays on the ground need to be collected.”
“A tremendous amount of law enforcement manpower, time and effort is being utilized around the clock, literally around the clock, to apprehend the suspect, as well as to safeguard this community,” Lewiston Police Chief David St. Pierre said.
He asked the public to be patient with the process as law enforcement coordinates efforts by multiple agencies.
Sauschuck declined to answer questions about warnings police may have received about Card prior to the shootings and whether they warranted triggering the state’s yellow flag gun law.
That law is similar to red flag laws that allow police to take guns from mentally ill or violent people, but more requires more steps.
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