October 27, 2023 news on the Maine shootings investigation

Follow this link for our current live coverage of the Maine mass shootings investigation and death of suspect Robert Card.

Lewiston shooting suspect Robert Card was found dead Friday evening, state Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck told reporters. Here are the latest developments:

President Joe Biden Joe Biden said he is grateful Maine residents are safe “after spending excruciating days hiding in their homes.”

Biden, in a statement Friday night after the suspect in Maine’s shooting rampage was found dead, said his administration will continue “to provide everything that is needed to support the people of Maine.”

The president also reiterated his call to Congress to address gun violence.

“Americans should not have to live like this,” he said in the statement. “I once again call on Republicans in Congress to fulfill their obligation to keep the American people safe. Until that day comes, I will continue to do everything in my power to end this gun violence epidemic. The Lewiston community – and all Americans – deserve nothing less.”

The White House said Biden spoke by phone twice this evening with Maine Gov. Janet Mills.

CNN’s Aileen Graef contributed reporting to this post.

Shooting survivor Tammy Asselin reacted to news of the Lewiston shooting suspect’s death on Friday.

“It is relieving so that the community itself can definitely move on without the fear of him out there, but it is also sad because we have so many questions left unanswered,” Asselin told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins while holding back tears.

Asselin was separated from her 10-year-old daughter as the shooting began at the Just-in-Time Recreation bowling alley on Wednesday. She lost her cousin, Tricia Asselin, in the shooting.

“I know it does give my daughter some peace to know that he has been caught because that was a fear of hers that he’s still out there.”

Wednesday’s shooting rampage at a restaurant and bowling alley left at least 18 dead and 13 wounded.

Maine Democratic Rep. Jared Golden, who’s district includes Lewiston, said communities across Maine can “feel safe that this threat has ended” following news the shooting rampage suspect has been found dead.

“With the news that the murderer responsible for Wednesday’s shooting has been found dead, the people of Lewiston and the surrounding communities can feel safe that this threat has ended,” Golden said in a statement on X.

He continued:

“I know that we will all continue to pray for and care for the families who have lost loved ones, for the wounded, and for the survivors who experienced this terrible shooting. This is a time for mourning the loss of life and to honor the memory of each one of these members of our greater community.”

Earlier this week, Golden, who had opposed efforts to ban assault weapons, reversed his position in light of the shooting that left 18 dead and 13 injured.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins said President Joe Biden called her Friday evening to inform her of the death of the Lewiston shooting suspect, Robert Card.

“Tonight, Mainers can breathe a collective sigh of relief thanks to the brave first responders who worked night and day to find this killer,” Collins wrote on X. “When President Biden called me this evening to tell me the perpetrator of the heinous attacks in Lewiston had been found, we both expressed our profound appreciation for the courage and determination of these brave men and women.”

Collins went on to address the families impacted by the massacre.

“To the families who lost loved ones and to those injured by this attack, I know that no words can diminish the shock, pain, and justifiable anger you feel,” Collins said. “It is my hope that you will find solace and strength in knowing that you are in the hearts of people throughout Maine and across the nation.”

Hunting restrictions have been lifted across Maine, the state’s commissioner of public safety, Michael Sauschuck, said Friday.

Earlier Friday, Sauschuck announced that hunting was prohibited in Lewiston, Lisbon, Bowdoin and Monmouth until further notice.

At Friday night’s news conference, Sauschuck said hunting would reopen tomorrow now that the body of mass shooting suspect Robert Card has been found.

“The resident hunting opportunity for tomorrow is open across the state of Maine to include those four communities,” he said.

Hunting season begins for residents in the state on Saturday, as CNN previously reported.

Past high-profile law enforcement manhunts have impacted hunters, such as the 2014 manhunt for an accused cop-killer in Pennsylvania. During that weeks-long search, Pennsylvania authorities temporarily restricted hunting in certain regions of the state being searched by law enforcement, citing public safety concerns.

CNN’s Sara Smart, Michelle Watson and Josh Campbell contributed reporting.

Law enforcement found the body of shooting rampage suspect Robert Card around 7:45 p.m. ET, Maine Commissioner for Public Safety Michael Sauschuck said at a news conference Friday night.

He would not give the exact location, but said the body was found near the river in Lisbon Falls, which is about 10 miles from Lewiston, where the Wednesday night shooting rampage unfolded.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills confirmed the death of the Lewiston shooting rampage suspect Robert Card late Friday, saying he “is no longer a threat to anyone.”

“Now is the time to heal,” Mills said at a Friday news conference. “With this search concluded, I know that law enforcement continues to fully investigate all the facts so we can bring what closure we can to the victims and their families.”

Police had been searching for Card since the shootings on Wednesday evening.

Maine Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Sauschuck confirmed Friday that Card died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The governor said she has called President Joe Biden as well as senators and lawmakers from Maine.

“On behalf of all Maine people, I want to express my profound gratitude for their unwavering bravery, determination and fortitude,” Mills said of the law enforcement officers involved in the case.

CNN’s Jamiel Lynch contributed reporting to this post.

Maine State Police are now holding a news conference after the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Lewiston shooting rampage suspect Robert Card was found dead Friday night. 

“The suspect in Wednesday nights shootings has been located and is deceased,” the post said.

Card, 40, was found in the woods near Lisbon, which is about eight miles from Lewiston, multiple sources told CNN. He was found in an area near the recycling center from which he had been recently fired, a law enforcement source told CNN’s John Miller.

More than 48 hours after Wednesday’s shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine, that left at least 18 people dead and 13 others wounded, shooting survivor Jennifer Zanca said there need to be solutions to gun violence in the nation.

“I don’t know where to go from here because this just keeps happening, and there needs to be some solutions,” Zanca told CNN’s Anderson Cooper. “I just don’t know what they are. I don’t know why we can’t find some in the country. ”

“Sometimes, we just disregard it until it happens to you. When it happens to you, it is a whole different story,” she added. “I am one of the lucky ones. I survived. I am here today, and I know my family is so happy about that.”

The Maine rampage is the deadliest mass shooting in the US this year — and the deadliest since the Uvalde school massacre. At least 566 mass shootings have happened this year across the country, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Zanca said she was out to dinner with three others at Schemengees Bar & Grille on the night of the incident when she first heard the sound of an assault rifle.  

“It just doesn’t register in your head, so I turned around, and I looked, and I saw a man standing there with his rifle or his semi-automatic weapon just cutting loose in the restaurant,” she recalled. “So, we all dropped to the ground, right to the ground, and we were trying to crawl out.”

“I tried to crawl out—I did crawl out with another, the three girls,” Zanca continued. “One of the girls stayed behind with a chair over her head. I crawled around the corner but had been shot in the arm by that point in time, so it wasn’t easy to get myself there. And then the girl in front of me said, ‘Come with me.’ And we followed her through this dark kitchen and found our way outside.”

Zanca said she hid behind a dumpster before running across the street for help.

Robert Card, the suspect in the Lewiston, Maine, shooting rampage, was found dead Friday night, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed on Facebook.

“The suspect in Wednesday nights shootings has been located and is deceased,” the post said.

Multiple sources tell CNN Card is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Card was found in the woods near Lisbon, which is about eight miles from Lewiston, the sources said. He was found in an area near the recycling center from which he had been recently fired, a law enforcement source told CNN’s John Miller.

Police have been searching for Card since the shootings on Wednesday evening.

A news conference will be held at 10 p.m. ET.

Law enforcement officers have not seen suspect Robert Card since the Lewiston mass shootings took place Wednesday, Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said in a news conference Friday.

Authorities have received more than 530 tips and leads in relation to the ongoing manhunt of Card, Sauschuck added, including possible sightings by the public.

When asked if Card could have stolen another vehicle, or taken a boat down the river near the location where his SUV was found, Sauschuck emphasized that all options are under consideration: “Is that a possibility? Sure. Is the river a possibility? Sure.”

Sauschuck would not comment on the note left behind by Card, which suggested he didn’t expect to be alive when it was found, a law enforcement official previously told CNN.

Officials do not know how many weapons Card has or had in his possession, the official said.

911 response time: Officers responded to the shooting locations in Lewiston within minutes of the 911 calls, according to the safety commissioner.

Authorities received the first report of a shooting at the bowling alley Just-in-Time Recreation Center at 6:56 p.m. The first Lewiston police officer arrived at the scene at 7 p.m., Sauschuck said.

There were additional officers in plain clothes at a shooting range nearby who heard the gunshots and responded to the scene immediately, he added.

The first calls to the Department of Public Safety were made at 6:57 p.m., and officers with DPS arrived at the first location 11 minutes later, according to Sauschuck.

Authorities received the second report at 7:08 p.m., with multiple 911 calls about an active shooter at Schemengees Bar & Grille, the second shooting location, Sauschuck said. Officers arrived at the bar at 7:10 p.m., he said.

Sauschuck noted officers from all over the region and from different departments responded to the mass shootings and were at both scenes within minutes.

The gun that investigators believe the Lewiston mass shooting suspect, Robert Card, used to kill 18 people and wound 13 others was purchased legally just days before he was hospitalized and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, multiple law enforcement sources told CNN.

In mid-July, New York State Police were called to Camp Smith in Cortlandt, New York — the military base where Card served — because he was acting “belligerently and possibly intoxicated,” according to a source briefed on the matter.

Three law enforcement sources told CNN the state police brought Card to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for suspected intoxication and released the next day. 

Card’s encounter with New York State Police and his National Guard superiors occurred just 10 days after he purchased a high-powered rifle at a Maine gun store, according to law enforcement sources.

What we know about the weapon: The rifle was a Ruger SFAR, chambered for high-powered .308 ammunition, the sources said.

The .308 round is favored by military snipers firing at long distances and big game hunters. It’s larger and more powerful than the regular ammunition carried in the rifles of soldiers and SWAT teams. 

One of the challenges in identifying victims at the two crime scenes from Wednesday’s mass shooting was nearly all the victims were shot in the head, rendering some of them unrecognizable, a law enforcement source told CNN.

The sources say the weapon found inside Card’s 2013 white Subaru Outback appears to be the same one fired by the gunman at the bowling alley and a local bar, though a ballistics match has not been confirmed.

The weapon will be processed by the FBI and ATF for fingerprints and DNA, and then run through laboratory testing to determine if the bullets and shell casings found at the scene match.

Sources tell CNN Card also bought a Beretta 92-F 9mm semi-automatic pistol, along with the rifle, in the same July purchase.

More on the mental health episode: A federal law enforcement source told CNN the army gave Card a “Command Referral” to seek treatment after the shooting suspect told army personnel at Camp Smith that he had been “hearing voices” and had thoughts about “hurting other soldiers.”

A National Guard spokesperson confirmed to CNN that Card was transported to the nearby Keller Army Community Hospital at the United States Military Academy for “medical evaluation,” after Army Reserve officials reported Card for “behaving erratically.”

When asked for information about their July encounter with Card, a New York State Police spokesperson told CNN, “This is an active investigation, and the New York State Police does not comment on active investigations.”

The shelter-in-place order implemented in parts of Maine following Wednesday’s shooting rampage has been rescinded, but hunting in some areas is prohibited starting on Saturday, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said during a Friday news conference.

Hunting is banned in Lewiston, Lisbon, Bowdoin and Monmouth until further notice, the commissioner said.

With the shelter-in-place order rescinded, residents are recommended to remain vigilant as the manhunt for suspect Robert Card remains ongoing, and businesses can decide whether they’d like to open or close, Sauschuck said.

The commissioner noted some communities may hear gunshots from time to time in certain areas because some people will be hunting.

The search at a boat launch in Lisbon where investigators found an abandoned car connected to the suspect on Thursday remains ongoing and additional dive teams from Maine and other states will join the search efforts on Saturday, according to Sauschuck.

All 18 victims killed in Wednesday’s shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine, have been identified by the state medical examiner’s office, the office administrator told CNN on Friday.

The oldest victim was 76 years old and the youngest was 14, both of whom were male, administrator Lindsey Chasteen told CNN in a phone call.

In total, 16 men and two women were killed in the mass shooting, according to Chasteen.  

CNN has identified 15 of the 18 victims killed.

Bob Violette, 76, was teaching a youth bowling league at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston when gunfire broke out on Wednesday night. His loved ones believe Violette died protecting his students from the bullets, according to CNN affiliate WBZ.

“Bob’s helped with the youth league for as long as I can remember,” his friend Brandon Dubuc told WBZ. “If he was there with those kids, he was protecting those kids. I have no doubt about that.”

Witnesses said Violette stood between the shooter and the children in his bowling league to keep them safe, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Violette’s family described him to the Press Herald as a person who made everyone feel comfortable and cared for. 

He died days away from celebrating his 77th birthday, relatives told WBZ.

Bill Young and his 14-year-old son Aaron were bowling together at the bowling alley Just-In-Time Recreation when the Lewiston shooting suspect entered the building, Aaron’s sister Kayla Putnam told CNN affiliate WCVB.

Aaron was an honor student in school who was proud of his grades, Putnam told WCVB.

Putnam said her stepfather, Young, was an auto mechanic, describing him as the rock of the family. 

“He’s going to be very missed,” Putnam told WCVB. “It’s going to be very hard for the family right now to deal without him because he was kind of the center of the family and everything.”

Young’s younger brother, Robert Young, described Bill as a hardworking man who loved his family.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better big brother,” he added.

Robert Young described his nephew Aaron, who was a sophomore in high school, as a gentle and thoughtful teen who enjoyed doing anything his father did.

“I hope they catch this guy, really soon,” Putnam told WCVB, referring to the ongoing manhunt of Robert Card, the suspect in the shootings that left at least 18 dead and injured 13 others.

Federal prosecutors are weighing criminal charges against Robert Card, the suspect in the Lewiston mass shooting who is still at large, according to a source familiar with the case.

In deciding which potential charges to bring against Card, prosecutors from the Justice Department’s criminal, civil rights and national security divisions are working together to decide which office would be best equipped to prosecute the case. 

State prosecutors also could bring separate charges in this case.

Prosecutorial decisions will be made around key pieces of evidence that point to Card’s state of mind. So far, authorities have not uncovered a manifesto, but Card’s online history and items found at his residence could steer prosecutors as they weigh charges. 

As of now, those conversations among federal officials are ongoing, the source familiar with the case told CNN.

Stephen Vozzella, who played in several tournaments organized by the New England Deaf Cornhole league, has been identified as one of the victims of the Lewiston mass shooting, according to the National Association of Letter Carriers.

“NALC is heartbroken to learn that Stephen Vozzella, a member of Branch 241, was a victim of the horrific shootings in Lewiston, ME on Wednesday,” NALC President Brian L. Renfroe said in a statement. The union represents city delivery letter carriers employed by the US Postal Service.

Stephen Vozzella’s brother, Nick Vozzella, also identified his brother as one of the victims on Wednesday.

“Please join me in sending prayers to Lewiston Maine tonight. My brother Stephen and his friends are victims of this horrible crime!” Vozzella’s brother said on his Facebook page. 

The Governor Baxter School for the Deaf noted Stephen Vozzella’s death in a statement after the tragedy, saying the shooting had impacted several members of its community.

“We lost four of our cherished community members in last night’s Lewiston shootings. Including two fathers of children in our programs. Some of our staff were very close to these members of our community,” the school’s executive director, Karen Hopkins, said in a Facebook post.

Stephen Vozzella was an active member of the New England Deaf Cornhole league, which paid tribute to Vozzella in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“With sadly and heavy hearts, NEDC has lost a member of our community, Steve Vozzella. He was one the victims lost in the shooting in Maine,” the organization wrote, adding that he brought excitement and a “huge smile” to the organization. “He won several podiums and eager to play more! He will be missed on and off the courts!”

The league plans to hold a moment of silence in Stephen Vozzella’s honor during an upcoming tournament in November, the group said in its post.

Other victims were participating in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant when they were killed, family members have confirmed to CNN.

CNN’s Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.

A news conference will be held at 5 p.m. ET at Lewiston City Hall as authorities continue the manhunt for suspected shooter Robert Card, according to a press release from Shannon Moss, public information officer with the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Ron Morin has been identified as one of the victims of the mass shooting in Maine, his family member Cecile Francoeur Martin told CNN. Morin was at Schemengees Bar and Grille Wednesday night when the shooting happened.

Martin, who is a cousin of Morin’s wife, says the family is “asking for prayers and privacy during this incredible time of shock and profound grief.”

In an interview with the Bangor Daily News, Martin described Morin as a gregarious, upbeat, and happy guy.

Martin told the newspaper that Morin was “just one of those people that if you are having a bad day, he was going to make your day better just by his presence.”

The search of the Androscoggin River near Lisbon, Maine, which is happening Friday, will be a “tremendous undertaking,” according to a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries of Wildlife (MDIFW).

Divers are looking for any evidence or information that may lead to the capture of Robert Card, the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting rampage that left 18 dead and 13 injured. 

Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said in an earlier news conference the search with divers would begin today.

“It’s a tremendous undertaking and no one agency could do it alone,” MDIFW spokesperson Mark Latti said in an interview with reporters that aired on Fox News. “So having the resources that we have — both national and at the state level — really gives us a great team to fan out and really try and find him as quickly as possible.”

“There was a lot of work that was done yesterday … that might not have been visible to the media and the cameras,” Latti added. 

Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said in an earlier news conference that the search with divers would begin today.

It’s unclear how long the river search will take, Latti said.

“There’s no time limit on it … could be a couple hours, could be longer,” Latti said. “I mean, when you’re talking about a water search, in the water, that takes longer than an air search.” 

Authorities found a note from the Maine shooting suspect, Robert Card, which indicated that Card didn’t expect to be alive when it was found, the equivalent of a suicide note in some manner, a law enforcement official told CNN.

This is, in part, is why the investigation has shifted to searching nearby waterways, the law enforcement source said. 

The note, described by the official, essentially gave information and instruction to others about where things could be found and disposed of — ultimately suggesting when it was found or read that Card would no longer be alive. 

Authorities are following a natural progression of leads, including considering what next steps Card may have taken, and have begun preparations to search the water, particularly near the boat launch where Card’s vehicle was found. 

Investigators searched Card’s car yesterday and recovered a .308-caliber AR-15 rifle, according to a law enforcement official. A second law enforcement official told CNN that the weapon is similar in description and caliber to the gun used in the attack. 

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will be conducting tests to determine whether the gun can be matched to bullets and shell casings recovered at the two shooting scenes. 

Authorities executed at least three search warrants Thursday on Card’s vehicle, home and another property, the source said, which informed Friday’s search procedures.

Police surrounded a lettuce farm in Lisbon, Maine, Friday during the search for the man suspected of killing 18 people earlier this week. They were responding to a tip of an apparent gunshot heard in the vicinity of the farm, but the area has since been cleared. 

A witness who works on the farm — less than a mile from a boat launch where shooting suspect Robert Card’s vehicle was found — reported hearing what he thought sounded like a gunshot to police, he told CNN.

The witness and three others took cover and hid in containers before contacting police, the witness explained before leaving the area. It’s unclear whether a gunshot was actually the source of the noise.

The encounter is just one of hundreds police are vetting in the search for Card, who is facing an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder.

Government helicopters were also observed flying overhead at the farm.

As a massive manhunt to locate the gunman in Wednesday night’s shooting rampage is still underway, details about the lives lost in the tragedy continue to emerge.

Of the 18 victims, seven were found dead at the bowling alley Just-In-Time Recreation and eight were found dead at Schemengees Bar & Grille, while three others died at the hospital, according to Maine State Police Col. William Ross.

Here’s what we know so far about the victims that have been publicly identified:

Law enforcement agencies have descended on southern Maine to search for a man suspected of killing 18 people in two mass shootings Wednesday.

Public safety officials released these maps Friday of key areas in their investigation:

A boat launch in Lisbon: Investigators located a white Subaru SUV, believed to belong to suspect Robert Card, at the Pejepscot Boat Launch in Lisbon, about 8 miles southeast of Lewiston, where the shootings took place.

That discovery has raised the possibility that Card escaped on the water, and the US Coast Guard has been searching the area by both air and water. On Friday, divers will search the waters of the Androscoggin River, while other law enforcement officials will comb the banks of the river, Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said in a news briefing Friday.

The bowling alley: This was the first location — a bowling alley called Just-In-Time Recreation — where authorities received a 911 call about a shooter on Wednesday evening. Ultimately, law enforcement found seven people dead at the bowling alley.

Sauschuck said Friday that the investigation is ongoing at Just-In-Time, acknowledging that it may feel like a slow process, but saying that law enforcement is being diligent and “respectful of the victims and the families that we are working with.”

A bar and grill: About 10 minutes after the 911 call about the bowling alley shooting, law enforcement was notified about an active shooter at this location, Schemengees Bar and Grille. Ultimately, police say eight people were killed at the restaurant, including one person who was found outside the establishment.

Sauschuck said, like the bowling alley, investigators are still likely “days away” from completing their work at this crime scene.

“We are going to be processing every square inch of these facilities,” the public safety commissioner said, mentioning, for example, that law enforcement will process every cartridge found on the ground and every vehicle in the parking lots.

Eight patients injured in the Maine mass shootings remain in the treatment of Central Maine Healthcare and Massachusetts General Hospital, according to hospital officials.

One patient was discharged Thursday from Central Maine Healthcare, according to Lisa Gardner, communications program manager for the healthcare group.

Here is a breakdown of the seven who are still being treated there, according to Gardner:

At Massachusetts General Hospital, Sr. Director of External Communications Michael Morrison said the hospital still has one patient from the incident who is in stable condition.

This post has been updated with information from an additional hospital.

Residents in and around Lewiston, Maine, should expect to continue seeing high-profile search efforts as the suspect in the shooting rampage remains at large, the state’s top law enforcement official said Friday.

“We’re still involved in a very dynamic situation here,” said Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck.

Thursday night, FBI agents with guns drawn could be seen advancing on a home in Bowdoin, saying over a loudspeaker to “come out with your hands up.” Officials later confirmed they do not necessarily believe suspect Robert Card was there at that point.

“If you hear announcements and PA systems, as an example, a piece of that is us just giving notification that, yes, in fact, we are the police,” said Sauschuck. “We are knocking on this door. We would like you to come out if you’re in there.”

He added that officials are prepared to offer daily updates on their search until Card is found. Searches with divers in the Androscoggin River near Lisbon will begin Friday, but ground searches are still underway, he said.

“They’re going to be out in the woods. They’re going to be out crawling around,” said Sauschuck.

Meanwhile, families of 10 of the 18 people who were killed in the shootings still have not been notified. “We are working with families that have currently been notified. We are continuing to identify victims in this case,” he said.

Maine authorities said they found a note during their investigation into the mass shootings but would not elaborate on its contents.

“There was a note at one of these residences. I’m not permitted to really talk about what that included,” said Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck, without elaborating further.

Earlier a law enforcement official told CNN that authorities found a note left behind, and that it did not explain a motive for the shooting rampage.

Lewiston, Maine, shooting rampage suspect Robert Card’s sister-in-law Katie O’Neill said that her family is heartbroken over the mass shooting that killed 18 people Wednesday.

“We are absolutely heartbroken. This is beyond belief. We are doing all we can with law enforcement, giving all information we can. Our hearts and prayers are constantly with these poor families, we will not be making further statements at this time” O’Neill said in a statement to CNN.

O’Neill is married to Card’s brother.

Lewiston mass shooting victim Maxx Hathaway was a full-time stay at home dad of two, with a third child on the way, according to his sister Kelsay Hathaway. 

“He was a goofy, down to earth person, loved to joke around and always had an uplifting attitude no matter what was going on,” Kelsay Hathaway said in a verified GoFundMe campaign she set up. “Brenda (his wife), the girls, his family and friends meant the world to him, and his loss will be felt among the communities that he was a part of and grew up in.”

Hathaway’s wife is due in a little over a month, Kelsay Hathaway said.

On Wednesday, Hathaway was at Schemengees Bar and Grill when the gunman started firing.

Hathaway’s wife, Brenda, was at the bar on Wednesday night when her toddler, Lilian, started to get fussy. She told the Boston Globe that she ended up leaving early while her husband stayed behind to play pool. 

“With what support we can get, we would love to be able to provide Brenda with assistance for childcare, celebration of life, groceries, etc since she will soon have a new member of the family,” Kelsay wrote on the GoFundMe campaign. 

In a separate social media post, Hathaway’s other sister, Courtney Hathaway, said she’s shocked and heartbroken. 

“I lost my big brother in the tragic mass shooting last night,” Courtney Hathaway wrote in a Facebook post. “I’m feeling a lot of things right now, but I’m mostly heartbroken that he’s gone.”
“Nothing really prepares you for the sudden and shocking loss of a loved one, especially when it happens in such a tragedy. Maxx was such a loving person, and it really was something watching him become a father to two girls and there is one on the way. We’re all going to miss him.”

Michael Sauschuck, Maine public safety commissioner, said Friday they are dedicating resources to search the area near a boat launch where suspect Robert Card’s vehicle was found, with teams deployed in the air, water and along the shoreline.

 “We will be putting divers in the water along the Androscoggin River,” Sauschuck said.

Maine State Police dive teams will lead the initiative and be using sonar via a remote operating vehicle to pick up any activity under water as well as teams working along the shoreline, the official added.

The official said they will also be using air assets to assist the divers as they look for evidence. “They’re looking to see what we can clear from the air,” he said.

While the search around the river near the town of Lisbon will have the highest visual profile of their manhunt so far, Sauschuck said, that does not mean Card’s means of escape is clear. “I’m not saying we know the suspect is in the water,” said Sauschuck.

CNN’s Andy Rose contributed reporting to this post.

Authorities are still “days away” from the completion of their investigations after Wednesday’s shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine, Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said at a news conference Friday.

He explained that the work of the investigators includes:

To “be respectful of the victims and the families that we are working with, and the process within we work, we have to take our time,” Sauschuck explained.

“So I expect that we are still days away from completing those particular investigations, those particular crime scenes. So you will continue to see us at those locations without question,” he noted.

Overnight, officers will continue to issue affidavits and search warrants and other documents “around any kind of digital media that we are hoping to attain or investigate,” including phones, computers and video from any locations, he added.

In the hours between 3 a.m. ET and 4 a.m. ET, authorities will use the time to “plan out what the next day is going to look like,” he said, explaining how they are working 24 hours a day.

Sauschuck later said that there is “no question in my mind that we will bring this individual into custody, one way or the other.”

Law enforcement officials are holding a news conference on the Lewiston, Maine, shooting rampage as the search for suspect Robert Card continues.

Maine Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said the suspect remains at large and law enforcement is focusing search efforts on where the suspect’s car was found. They also continue to investigate at the restaurant and bowling alley where the shootings took place.

CNN reported earlier Friday that investigators have recovered a cell phone that belonged to the suspect, as well as a note he left behind, a law enforcement official said. 

As the search for Lewiston, Maine, shooting suspect Robert Card continues, shelter-in-place orders are in effect across nearly 700 square miles in the state of Maine.

The most recent alert calling for people in Androscoggin County and Northern Sagadahoc County remains in effect, the Maine Emergency Management Agency confirmed to CNN Friday morning.

The Sagadahoc order includes Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Richmond, according to the police department in the county seat of Bath. It does not include Bath or Topsham, although many schools and government buildings in those communities will be closed Friday.

Beloved interpreter Joshua Seal had been taking part in a cornhole tournament for deaf athletes at Schemengees Bar and Grille when he was killed Wednesday, according to his wife CNN affiliate, WGME reports.

Seal’s employer, Pine Tree Society, said Seal was their Director of Interpreting Services, they wrote on Facebook.

“He was a husband, a father of four and a tireless advocate for the Deaf community. He was committed to creating safe space for Deaf people and was widely known as the ASL interpreter for Dr. Shah’s pandemic briefings,” the post said. “The ripple effects of his loss will be felt by countless Maine people.”

Seal gained attention during the pandemic as one of the lead interpreters for the deaf for Maine Gov. Janet Mills and Dr. Nirav Shah during the daily Covid-19 briefings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The executive director of the Governor Baxter School for the Deaf said they lost four cherished community members during the Lewiston shootings, adding that the lives of those lost will never be forgotten.

Investigators have recovered a cell phone that belonged to the Maine mass shooting suspect, as well as a note he left behind, a law enforcement official said. 

Authorities have recovered a cell phone that belonged to the suspect, which adds to the challenges for investigators who routinely track cell phones to find people, the law enforcement official said. It’s unclear if he is carrying another phone unassociated with him. 

The law enforcement official also said investigators found a note left behind, but it doesn’t explain a motive for the mass shootings.

Law enforcement agencies have descended upon southern Maine to search for Robert Card, the suspect in Wednesday’s mass shootings — but his background could make the effort to find him both challenging and dangerous, experts told CNN.

“This is a person who has military training. They have an elevated level of firearms proficiency, but they also have the knowledge of military tactics, most notably evasion and the strategy on how to go undetected,” said CNN Law Enforcement Analyst Jonathan Wackrow. “All of that going on is challenging to law enforcement.”

His experience with guns: Card is a certified firearms instructor, law enforcement officials in Maine told CNN. And while he’s had no deployments, records provided by the Army indicate Card is a petroleum supply specialist in the Army reserve.

The 40-year-old never saw combat, according to Clifford Steeves, a former colleague in Card’s Army Reserve Unit. But Card received extensive training, including with firearms, he said, adding Card was a skilled marksman and among the best shooters in their unit.

Familiar with the outdoors: Much of the search is happening in a wooded area — and Card may be comfortable in the outdoors simply by virtue of being a resident of Maine, said Rob D’Amico, a retired FBI agent and former member of the bureau’s Hostage Rescue Team.

His careful planning: Several law enforcement experts also pointed to what they said was evidence of careful planning by the suspect.

One example is the location where his white Subaru was found — at the Pejepscot Boat Launch in Lisbon, about 8 miles southeast of Lewiston, raising the possibility that he absconded on the water.

“The question is, does he have a boat there? Or is he aware of a boat he could take there, and is that a second part of the plan, or just because he has done his shooting and he is in escape mode and it’s where he ended up? Those are unknowns,” said CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller.

Read more here.

Michael Deslauriers II was killed while attempting to charge at the shooter during Wednesday night’s mass shooting in Lewiston, his father Michael Deslauriers Sr. said on Facebook.

Deslauriers Sr., who is the chairman of the Sabattus Historical Society, announced on the organization’s Facebook page that his son and his friend died trying to stop the shooter at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley.

“They made sure their wives and several young children were under cover then they charged the shooter,” Deslauriers Sr. said.

Deslauriers Sr. described the announcement as “the hardest news for a father to ever have to share.”

Bill Young and his 14-year-old son Aaron died at a bowling alley in Lewiston during Wednesday’s shooting spree that resulted in at least 18 deaths, according to Reuters.

The shootings, which took place at a bowling alley and restaurant, have prompted stay-at-home orders in Maine, as the suspect, Robert Card, remains at large, CNN previously reported.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Card, 40, accusing him of murder, Maine State Police Col. William Ross said during a Thursday news conference.

Police conducted a search of the last known address associated with Card on Thursday.

It’s been more than a day since the manhunt began for Robert Card, the suspect in a Wednesday night shooting rampage that left 18 people dead in Lewiston, Maine.

Here’s where the search stands:

As communities in Maine grieve 18 people killed in a shooting at a bowling alley and restaurant two days ago, officials still are imploring thousands of residents to shelter in place Friday while a massive search continues for a suspect.

Authorities consider the suspect, Robert Card, armed and dangerous, and schools, businesses and other facilities have closed over safety concerns while hundreds of law enforcement officers swarm parts of southern Maine in Card’s pursuit.

The horror began around 7 p.m. Wednesday in the city of Lewiston, where authorities say Card opened fire at Just-in-Time Recreation and then later at Schemengees Bar & Grille. In addition to the 18 people killed, 13 others were injured, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday.

The shooting and subsequent manhunt spurred shelter-in-place orders for Androscoggin and northern Sagadahoc counties, which encompass Lewiston and the nearby Auburn and Lisbon communities.

“Nerves are rattled right now – (I’m) keeping an eye on the woods,” said Cory, a Lisbon resident whose 10-year-old daughter was inside his home. “Seeing the cops coming around here, that makes me feel a million times better.”

Hundreds of shootings a year: Wednesday night’s massacre appears to be the deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year. It is also the worst since a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, last year.

Overall, at least 566 mass shootings have happened this year across the country, with four or more shot excluding the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Read the full story here.

Maine Rep. Jared Golden of Maine — one of the rare House Democrats to oppose many gun safety measures championed by his party — came out in support of an assault weapons ban on Thursday, the day after shootings in his hometown of Lewiston.

“I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war,” Golden said at news conference in Lewiston. “The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles.”

Golden’s announcement marks a notable shift for the three-term congressman, who represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District – a largely rural seat that twice backed former President Donald Trump.

First elected in 2018 when he flipped the GOP-held district under ranked-choice voting, the Marine veteran has broken with his party on a number of priorities, including gun measures. He was one of only five Democrats to oppose an assault-style weapons ban passed in 2022 by the House, then under Democratic control.

But on Thursday, with his community still in lockdown, the congressman struck an urgent tone about the need to restrict assault weapons.

“To the people of Lewiston, my constituents throughout the 2nd District, to the families who lost loved ones, and to those who have been harmed, I ask for forgiveness and support as I seek to put an end to these terrible shootings,” he said.

Read more here.

Wednesday’s shooting rampage took place in Lewiston, Maine, a sprawling residential and industrial area just off the Maine Turnpike.

The city has just 38,493 residents as of last year, according to the US Census. It’s home to Bates College, a private liberal arts school, and is regularly ranked as one of America’s safest cities.

Lewiston is a largely working-class community, with a median household income of about $48,000 and in which about 16% of the population lives in poverty, according to the US Census.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who met her husband in Lewiston, described it as a “special place.”

“It’s a close-knit community with a long history of hard work, of persistence, of faith, of opening its big heart to people everywhere,” Mills said. “This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security. No city does, no state, no people.”

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said he was “heartbroken for our city and our people.”

“Lewiston is known for our strength and grit and we will need both in the days to come,” he said.

Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President Shanna Cox on Thursday called the scene of both attacks “family locations,” adding: The likeliness of this having direct impact for so many here is so real.”

The shootings took place in a bowling alley and a restaurant, leaving at least 18 dead and 13 injured.

The shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday have horrified the tight-knit community, with details emerging on Thursday of the victims as a massive manhunt continues for the gunman.

Of the 18 victims, seven were found dead at the bowling alley Just-In-Time Recreation and eight were found dead at Schemengees Bar & Grille, while three others died at the hospital, according to Maine State Police Col. William Ross.

Here are some of the names that have emerged so far:

Arthur “Artie” Strout was at Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant when he was killed during Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, his father Arthur Bernard told CNN affiliate WBZ.  

Bernard said he had just left Schemengees when he received the heartbreaking call that there was an active shooter. 

“The crazy part is just being with him just before it happened, minutes, I mean 10 minutes before it happened,” Bernard told WBZ. “I hadn’t driven very far before I got a phone call saying that there was a shooting there and I knew where he was in the place, 20 feet from the door.”

Strout’s family thought he was at the hospital but learned the news of his death on Thursday. He leaves behind five children.

The suspect in the Maine mass shooting started making statements about hearing voices and wanting to hurt fellow soldiers while serving at a military base this summer, and spent a few weeks in a hospital, law enforcement officials told CNN.

But a relative of the suspect and two former colleagues in the Army Reserve told CNN they weren’t aware of him having any longstanding history of mental health issues – although one former colleague remembered him as a skilled marksman and outdoorsman who was among the best shooters in his unit.

Robert R. Card II, 40, made his troubling statements while he was at the Camp Smith training facility in New York, the law enforcement officials said. His command referred him to a military hospital, and he spent a few weeks under evaluation, they said.

In July, Army Reserve officials reported Card for “behaving erratically,” and he was transported to the nearby Keller Army Community Hospital at the United States Military Academy for “medical evaluation,” a National Guard spokesman told CNN.

“Out of concern for his safety, the unit requested that law enforcement be contacted,” said the spokesperson, Col. Richard Goldenberg. New York State Police responded and transported Card to the hospital, he said.

Card then spent a few weeks under evaluation at the hospital, the law enforcement officials said.

The 40-year-old Card also threatened to shoot up a National Guard base in Maine, law enforcement officials previously told CNN.

Card’s sister-in-law, Katie O’Neill, said in a brief conversation with CNN Thursday that Card does not have a long history of mental health struggles.

Read more here.

Peyton Brewer-Ross, 39, was participating in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar and Grille when he was killed during Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, his brother Ralph Brewer told CNN. 

Brewer-Ross loved playing cornhole and enjoying hanging out with friends at Schemengees, his brother said.

“It’s just surreal and sad. Now my brother is not here anymore along with 17 other people,” Brewer told CNN in a phone interview on Thursday. “He just went to play cornhole. He is the nicest person you would ever meet. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone.”

Brewer-Ross “loved being a dad more than anything else,” his brother said. Two weeks ago, Brewer-Ross celebrated his daughter Elle’s second birthday. 

“She woke up telling her mom, Rachel [Sloat], ‘where’s daddy, where’s daddy.’” Brewer said. “At 2 years old, she isn’t going to remember any of this, but in the same breath, she isn’t going to have her dad be there the rest of her life.” 

In the past five years, Brewer-Ross worked his way through the iron pipefitter apprenticeship program and graduated last year. When he wasn’t spending time with his family, he enjoyed comics, cornhole, playing games and having fun with friends, his brother said. 

“We are walking around in a daze not knowing what to say, what to do, or how to act, because of a senseless shooting,” Brewer said. “It’s so unbelievable that this can continue to happen over and over again and nothing changes.”

Multiple school districts and colleges in southern Maine announced they will be closed as the search continues for the suspect in two shootings that left 18 people dead and 13 injured in Lewiston.

Lewiston Public Schools announced it would continue to be closed Friday as a shelter-in-place order remains in effect for the city.

School departments in Auburn, Brunswick and Lisbon will also be closed on Friday. Auburn and Brunswick Schools said they plan to resume classes on Monday but with a two-hour delay to the start of the school day.

“This additional time will allow our staff to carefully prepare for conversations with our students and how we can best support them during this difficult time,” Brunswick School Department Superintendent Phil Potenziano said in the announcement.

Central Maine Community College also shared on Facebook that it would remain closed on Friday.

Maine Sen. Susan Collins called the day a mass shooting killed at least 18 people and injured 13 others in Lewiston a “dark day” for her state.

Speaking at a news conference with other state lawmakers on Thursday, Collins said the “heinous attack” is the worst mass shooting to happen in Maine.

An extensive manhunt is underway for the suspect in the shooting. Various law enforcement officials are searching for Robert Card, 40, who is wanted for eight counts of murder, police said.

At least 80 agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation are looking for Card, Collins said, in addition to personnel from various other agencies, including the ATF and the Coast Guard.

“Everyone is determined to bring the killer to justice,” she said.

Speaking to the family of the victims, the Maine senator acknowledged that “no words can fully ease the shock, the pain and the justifiable anger that you are feeling.” Still, she said she hopes that they find strength in the support of people from around the country.

Law enforcement sources told CNN a search on Thursday of the last known address associated with Robert Card, the suspect in two shootings that left 18 people dead in Lewiston, was conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) SWAT teams.

The search was based on Card’s association with the address in Bowdoin, Maine, the law enforcement sources said.

The sources told CNN that once FBI SWAT teams cleared the house, investigators came in to execute the search warrant, looking for items like computers, notes, weapons and any evidence that might indicate a plan to carry out the shootings.

CNN heard loud bangs near that address on Thursday, including someone shouting “FBI” through a bullhorn.

State and local investigators did a similar style entry and search at another location, as well as a search of Card’s car on Thursday, the sources said. Similar searches of additional locations are expected in the coming days, the sources said.