Maine Gov. Janet Mills confirmed at a news conference Friday night that the suspect wanted for killing 18 people at a bowling alley and bar was found dead in Lisbon, Maine.
“Like many people, tonight I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone,” Mills said. “I also know that his death may not bring comfort to many. But now is the time to heal.”
Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said at the conference that Card was found at 7:45 p.m. near the Androscoggin River. He declined to provide a specific address.
Lewiston Police Chief David St. Pierre said the community can now “breathe a sigh of relief.”
“It is vitally important to all of us that this conclusion came to light tonight,” St. Pierre said. “Let’s cry for the families who lost their loved ones.”
Card, who was wanted in connection with the shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston, is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, he had told The Associated Press. a police officer.
Card, 40, of Bowdoin, Maine, was a U.S. Army reservist who underwent a mental health evaluation in mid-July after he began acting erratically during training, an official said. federal to the AP.
Card had been wanted since Wednesday night’s shootings, and murder warrants were issued for him.
A bulletin sent to police across the country shortly after the attack said Card had been admitted to a mental health facility for two weeks in the middle of the year after “hearing voices and threats to shoot” a military base.
An official said Card was training with the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment at West Point, New York, when commanders became concerned about him.
State police took Card to Keller Army Community Hospital in West Point for evaluation, according to the official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the information and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.
