At a press conference on Saturday, Maine Governor Janet Mills said that the gunman who shot and killed eighteen people in Lewiston, Maine, has been apprehended.
She spoke about the gunman, saying, “I’m breathing a sigh of relief tonight knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone.”
After instructing residents to stay inside and conducting a thorough search for the gunman for almost two days, police lifted the shelter-in-place order late on Friday.
In addition to thanking law enforcement for their efforts, Mills said she had informed President Joe Biden of the development.
According to officials, the gunman appears to have self-inflicted gunshot wounds
The suspect was discovered dead near the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls, according to State Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck.
Card had an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Sauschuck, who added that it was unclear when the gunman died. More information would be released in the following days, he said.
Earlier in the day, Sauschuck conducted a news conference in which he named all 18 victims of the deadly shooting. The families of the victims had all been notified.
At the briefing, photos of those killed were displayed on a board behind him, and he read their names out. Following the reading, there was a brief moment of quiet.
After the gun rampage, a manhunt lasted nearly two days
Authorities, including scores of FBI agents, have been searching the woods and rivers of central and southern Maine for the shooter for nearly two days.
There had been no indication from law enforcement that they had any leads on the shooter.
Authorities said they investigated a probable suicide note addressed to the shooter’s kid that was discovered at his residence. They said that the note did not specify a reason for the shooting.
Neighbours informed authorities that the shooter’s family had resided in the area for decades, near the town of Bowdoin, and that various members of the family owned hundreds of acres in the area.
Biden urges for gun control measures
According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, a non-governmental organisation, the United States had more than 500 mass shooting incidents in 2023.
According to US President Joe Biden, the country is “in mourning after yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting.”
He restated calls for a renewed assault weapons prohibition and stronger controls on gun sales, both of which must be approved by Congress.
