The agonizing search for Robert Cardthe author of the massacre that left 18 victims in Lewiston, Maine, concluded this Friday night with the discovery of his lifeless body near where his trace was lost.
Evidence analyzed by the police suggests that Card would have committed suicide by shooting himself. According to The countrythe first investigations suggest that the place of his death could have an emotional meaning for him, since he used to frequent it with his recent ex-girlfriend.
The discovery took place around 7:45 p.m., just over a kilometer and a half from the place where Card abandoned his vehicle after carrying out a massacre that left 18 people dead and 13 injured.
In the images captured by the security cameras of the Jut-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, he is seen armed with a semi-automatic rifle equipped with a telescopic sight, beginning his attack. Afterwards, he headed to Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, where he continued his violent odyssey before fleeing.
Both mass shooting locations had a personal connection to Card, as they were places he used to visit with his ex-girlfriend, with whom he recently broke up. If the first information is confirmed, the scenario of his suicide would also seem to be related to his emotional problems.
This summer, Card was under surveillance for two weeks due to mental health issues and apparently acquired the gun used in the massacre earlier this year.
The event has left a series of unknowns about the moment of his suicide, which the authorities have not yet clarified. The prevailing question is when Card’s suicide occurred. Was it immediately after he committed the massacre or did days pass before he decided to take his own life?
Local officials did not provide a definitive answer at an impromptu news conference at Lewiston City Hall, and are expected to expand on the information at a conference scheduled for this Saturday.
The area where the body was found was closed to law enforcement search around 2:00 p.m. Thursday, and the area remained closed for a time.
The search focused on a stretch of the Androscoggin River, where specialized divers searched for possible bodies in the water. Furthermore, the police launched a major operation in Bowdoin Township, where Card previously resided.
The massacre mobilized hundreds of local, state and federal agents from across the United States in a joint effort. The governor of Maine, Janet Millsstated that the end of this deployment marks the beginning of a long and difficult healing process for the affected communities.
The victims of the massacre, whose identities were confirmed hours before Card’s discovery, number 18 in total: 16 men and 2 women. Eight of them lost their lives in the restaurant, seven in the bowling alley and three did not survive their treatment at the Lewiston hospital.
The victims range in age from 14 to 76 years old, and include deaf people, a father and son, as well as a couple in their seventies.
The official spokesman for the tragedy, Michael Sauschuk, explained that they were handled with care when communicating the discovery to both the victims’ relatives and Card’s relatives. Additionally, it was revealed that Card left a farewell note to his son, the contents of which have not yet been made public, but in which he promised that he would not be “found alive.”
The Lewiston shooting becomes the deadliest mass shooting of the year to date in the United States and ranks as the 10th deadliest in the country’s history.
Maine, known for its love of outdoor activities, is one of the easiest states to purchase a firearm. Until now, it was also considered one of the safest states, with only 29 homicides recorded the previous year in a population of just over 1.3 million inhabitants.
The rise in gun violence is a cause for concern in the country, with 567 mass shootings reported in 2023 by the organization Gun Violence Archivecompared to 645 in 2022.
