Maine shooting update: Major police search at suspect Robert Card’s home

Lewiston Public Schools will be closed on Friday for the second day in a row as the suspect in Wednesday night’s mass shooting remains at large.

“We remain in a shelter in place situation,” said Superintendent Jake Langlais in a post on the district’s website. “We will not open buildings or run bus transportation.”

Maine law enforcement officials later announced that Robert Card, a 40-year-old Sgt 1st class in the Army Reserve, is wanted as a suspect in the shootings that left 18 dead and 13 others injured.

Here’s what we know so far about the accused gunman:

After calling it a “horrific tragedy”, here’s what he said to the media on Thursday morning:

“This is a dark time in America, we have a lot of problems and we’re really, really hopeful and prayerful. Prayer is appropriate in a time like this, that the evil can end and this senseless violence can stop. And so that’s that’s the statement this morning on behalf of the entire House of Representatives. Everyone wants this to end and I’ll leave it there.”

The father of a bar manager in Lewiston identified his son as one of the 18 victims who died in Wednesday’s shooting in Maine.

Leroy Walker, a city council member in Auburn, Maine, told NBC News that state police had confirmed his son Joseph Walker had been killed when a gunman opened fire at two locations in Lewiston, including Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, where he was the bar manager.

A manhunt is underway for the “armed and dangerous” gunman who opened fire at Schemengees bar and in the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley around 7pm on Wednesday night, which left 18 people dead and 13 injured.

The father of a bar manager in Lewiston identified his son as one of the 18 victims who died in Wednesday’s shooting in Maine.

Leroy Walker, a city council member in Auburn, Maine, told NBC News that state police had confirmed his son Joseph Walker had been killed when a gunman opened fire at two locations in Lewiston, including Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, where he was the bar manager.

Many people in the community have been waiting on edge to hear whether or not their loved ones have been identified as victims in the shooting.

It took over 14 hours for Mr Walker to be notified about his son, and he said his family was “suffering and dying in a nightmare we don’t understand.”

“None of us slept, we were up all night,” he said. “We didn’t know where to go, who to run to. They didn’t notify any of us.”

Andrea Cavallier reports.

Heavily armed police surrounded a home on Thursday as they searched for a US Army reservist who authorities say killed 18 people and wounded 13 in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine.

“You need to come outside now with nothing in your hands. Your hands in the air,” police shouted through a megaphone outside the home owned by suspect Robert Card’s relative near the town of Bowdoin.

Dozens of law enforcement officials had descended on the property, with extended announcements calling for Mr Card and anyone in the home to come out into the driveway.

In most instances when police execute warrants – even for suspects wanted for violent crimes – they move quickly to enter the home.

“The announcements that are being heard over a loudspeaker are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved,” state police spokesperson Shannon Moss said.

“It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search.”

Here’s where the incidents unfolded on Wednesday night:

At today’s White House press conference, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre gave the following statement ahead of questions from the press corps.

I wanted to start with a word about the horrific news out of Lewiston, Maine last night, where we saw another tragic shooting that has taken at least 18 lives, injured many others and left countless people in grief, shock and trauma.

As the President said in a statement earlier today, he and the First Lady are praying for the victims and their families for those still fighting for their lives. And for the families, survivors and community members reeling from this latest act of gun violence. And importantly, we continue to urge all residents to heed the warnings and guidance of local officials and federal law enforcement are on the ground to assist with the response.

During the state dinner last night, the President was informed and stepped out to receive an initial briefing of the shooting. Later he stepped out to speak with Maine governor Janet Mills as well as senators Collins and King and Congressman Jared Golden. He pledged full federal support in the wake of this horrific tragedy. This morning the President received another briefing on the shooting from senior advisors and he ordered that the US flag be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds out of respect for all the victims as well. So I want to echo the President’s sentiments on this strategy, tragedy and the epidemic of gun violence in general. This is not normal. We cannot accept this. There have been literally hundreds of mass shootings in the last year alone, leaving empty seats at dinner tables across the country and leaving those who survive these heinous acts, both physically and mentally. scarred.

And while we have made progress since the President signed the bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law, much more, much more must be done.

And the president has been clear that executive action alone is just not enough.

As the vice president —who oversees the newly established office of gun violence and prevention — stated during today’s state lunch, and I know many of you watched very closely as well, and she said it doesn’t have to be this way.

As our friends in Australia have demonstrated. Again, it does not have to be this way. It’s within Congress’s power to pass legislation that will make our streets safer that will make our community safer that will make our schools safer.

The house has a new speaker who he said he’s ready to get to work and to find common ground. Now is the time, now is the time to find common ground. Let’s work together to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. let’s work together to enact universal background checks, require safe storage of guns, and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous individuals who have no business being armed with a weapon of war.

The president will continue to do everything in his power to protect the American people, to protect our communities to protect our children, and we urge, we urge congressional Republicans to come to the table to come to the table. If there truly is common ground, at this time.