MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mass shooting spree leaves at least 22 dead in US State of Maine

Maine State Police Commissioner Michael Sauschuck told reporters late Wednesday that the search for a person of interest was still ongoing

At least 22 people have been reported dead Wednesday following yet another shooting spree. This time around it was Lewiston in Androscoggin County, Maine, some 35 miles north of Portland. The suspected perpetrator of the attack remained at large in the early hours of Thursday.

Local authorities also said about 80 people were wounded in at least three almost simultaneous shootings, as residents were advised to close their doors and take shelter. “Please stay inside your homes with your doors locked,” Maine State Police said on X.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office said it was investigating two shooting incidents but a third one was reported almost simultaneously. Lewiston Public Information Officer Derrick St. Laurent told the Sun Journal that another shooting was reported at the Walmart Distribution Center on Alfred A Plourde Pkwy.

The Lewiston Police Department identified the businesses where the two incidents occurred as Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, police said in a Facebook post. Schemengees is a bar and grill restaurant, according to its website, and Sparetime Recreation is a recreational facility.

“We are encouraging all businesses to close their doors or take shelter while we investigate,” the sheriff's office said as the “manhunt” continued.

Lewiston Police have named Robert Card, aged 40, as a “person of interest” in the case. He “should be considered armed and dangerous. Please contact law enforcement if you are aware of his whereabouts,” a recent post on Facebook warned.

“We have literally hundreds of police officers working around the state of Maine to investigate this case, to locate Mr. Card who again is a person of interest,” Maine State Police Commissioner Michael Sauschuck told reporters.

Sauschuck said a vehicle of interest had been found in the city of Lisbon, which is about 8 miles southeast of Lewiston. Residents in Lisbon too were told to shelter as the search progressed.

President Joseph Biden contacted Maine authorities to offer the federal government's full support, it was also reported. “The president spoke by phone individually to Maine Gov. Janet Mills, Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins, and Congressman Jared Golden about the shooting in Lewiston, Maine, and offered full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” the White House said in a statement.