On October 25, Lewiston, Maine was rocked by a mass shooting that claimed the lives of at least 18 people, with 13 more injured.
The violent incident began at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley on Mollison Way and continued at Schemengees Bar and Grille on Lincoln Street.
Riley Dumont, a survivor of the bowling alley shooting, recounted her experience. She told ABC News that her dad, who is a retired police officer and was at the bowling alley with her, her 11-year-old daughter, and her mother, positioned tables and a large bench that the kids were hiding behind, in order to protect them from the bullets. She added, “I was laying on top of my daughter. My mother was laying on top of me.” She said the ordeal felt like it lasted an eternity with sounds of people sobbing and crying around them.
The Lewiston Police Department soon after identified 40-year-old Robert Card from Bowdoin, Maine, as a person of interest in connection with the shootings.
The mourning community of Maine felt a sigh of relief upon hearing the news on Friday evening that the male suspect was discovered deceased.
Card was found near a river around 10 miles distant from the devastated Lewiston community. The cause of death was stated to be a self-inflicted shot, according to authorities.
Card’s remains were located within a box trailer positioned in an auxiliary parking area at the Maine Recycling Corporation in Lisbon, as announced by Michael Sauschuck, Maine Public Safety Commissioner, in a press briefing held on the following Saturday morning.
According to reports, Card had received military training as a firearms instructor and was a part of the Army Reserve as a petroleum supply specialist. Notably, he had spent two weeks in a mental health facility this past summer. The bulletin also revealed disturbing insights into Card’s mental state, as he claimed to hear voices and even threatened to initiate a shooting at the military training facility in Saco, Maine.
The victims of the tragic incident, identified on Friday, ranged from 14 to 76 years old. Among the deceased were a boy who was bowling with his father, participants in a deaf cornhole competition, and several dads leaving behind young kids.
