The body of Robert Card, 40, a military-trained firearms instructor suspected of killing 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, was found on Friday night, the local Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck has confirmed.
The official told a press conference in the city that Card’s body had been discovered near the Androscoggin River in Lisbon Falls after an intensive 48-hour manhunt. Sauschuck added that the suspect had “an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.” The time of his death was unclear and the investigation is ongoing.
The terrifying scenes took place Wednesday night in Lewiston, a city of about 36,000 people, when the gunman attacked a bowling alley. Authorities say 18 people were killed and 13 injured.
Police released pictures of the suspect, who was identified as Robert Card, a firearms instructor at the US Army Reserve training facility with a reported history of mental problems. The city of Lewiston was placed on lockdown and a massive search was launched. A vehicle allegedly used by Card was found in Lisbon, a town about eight miles (about 13km) southeast of Lewiston. Residents there were also advised to shelter in place.
In the White House statement on the massacre, US President Joe Biden said that “a shooting such as this reopens deep and painful wounds” for Americans who have survived gun violence and been traumatized by it. He noted, that “far too many” US citizens have now had a family member killed or injured as a result of gun violence.
In the wake of the tragedy, Biden urged Congress to pass legislation banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and to enact universal background checks and other restrictions.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization, as of October 26, at least 35,306 people have died as a result of gun violence in the US so far this year. This figure includes 1,160 teenagers and 246 children.