Residents of Maine, where 18 people were killed in a mass shooting on Wednesday evening, breathed a sigh of relief this morning after the suspect’s death was confirmed following a two-day manhunt.
Robert Card, a 40-year-old Army reservist, is believed to be behind the mass shooting that took place at a bowling alley and resto-bar in the city of Lewiston. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said.
In addition to the 18 deaths, thirteen people were also injured in the disaster.
Governor Janet Millis told a news conference that she could now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone.
U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said President Joe Biden called her to inform her the Lewiston perpetrator had been found. “Mainers can breathe a collective sigh of relief,” she said.
Maine residents had not slept peacefully since the shooting occurred Wednesday night. Kyle Green and his partner, who lived near Lewiston, took turns sleeping to keep watch until morning. They told their children it was movie night, locked all the doors and sat in front of the TV, wondering where the shooter could be hiding.
Card’s body was found in Lisbon Falls, southeast of Lewiston, near a recycling center where he previously worked and had lost his job, local media reported. It said he had been under psychiatric treatment after claiming he heard voices. His fugitive status and the shooting left the city in fear, with many leaving their homes for places of safety.
Wednesday’s mass shooting is one of the deadliest in the US since 2017, when 60 people were killed at a music festival in Las Vegas.