Maine Begins Process of Recovery and Seeks Explanations After Suspected Mass Murderer is Discovered Deceased

On Saturday, officials revealed that Maine law enforcement had conducted two previous searches at a local recycling facility before ultimately locating the body of Robert Card, the man accused of taking the lives of 18 individuals in Lewiston.

Michael Sauschuck, the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, disclosed that special teams, including a tactical squad, had initially examined the Maine Recycling Corp. premises on Thursday night. A separate state police team revisited the facility on Friday, discovering Card’s body in an area that had not previously been examined.

Sauschuck confirmed that the cause of Card’s death appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. During a press briefing on Saturday, he also noted that Card’s family had been highly cooperative with law enforcement, contacting investigators shortly after surveillance images of the alleged shooter were released. “In fact, the first three individuals to contact us were members of Card’s family,” stated Sauschuck.

The 40-year-old suspect, a native of Bowdoin and a firearms instructor, was not only implicated in the 18 fatalities but also in the injuring of 13 others during a violent episode at a Lewiston bowling alley and bar on Wednesday evening.

In a Friday night press conference, Maine Governor Janet Mills called for the state’s healing process to commence. “Like many, I am experiencing a sense of relief tonight, secure in the knowledge that Robert Card no longer poses a threat,” Governor Mills remarked.

After a prolonged citywide lockdown, Lewiston’s streets gradually came back to life on Saturday morning. Local residents resumed their daily routines, jogging, walking their dogs, and patronizing shops that had been shuttered since the tragedy. Whitney Pelletier, who owns a downtown café called Forage, displayed a hand-made “Lewiston Strong” sign on her establishment’s glass door. “The fear I had living downtown has now been supplanted by a deep sadness,” she said.

President Joe Biden issued a statement urging Congress to take legislative action on gun violence. The events in Maine, a state with a population of 1.3 million that generally sees low rates of violent crime, have shocked the community. Lewiston and its surrounding areas had been in a state of lockdown, with a robust law enforcement presence involving hundreds of police officers, sheriff’s deputies, FBI agents, and others.

Further details about Card, a U.S. Army reservist, were disclosed. Leo Madden, who managed the Maine Recycling Corp. for several years, told the Associated Press that Card had been an employee for a few years but did not stand out in any particular way. Last summer, Card had been subjected to a mental health evaluation following erratic behavior during military training. A federal bulletin revealed that he had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks after reporting auditory hallucinations and threatening to carry out an attack on a military base.

In the wake of the tragic events, law enforcement agencies are offering help and support to the victims through a Family Assistance Center in Lewiston. At least four members of the deaf community were among those killed in the shooting, according to the Maine Educational Center for the Deaf.

Authorities have thus far not divulged additional details about the firearms used in the attack, except to state that at least one rifle was involved. A suicide note addressed to Card’s son was found, although it did not shed light on his motivations for the attack.

In a state where hunting is extremely popular, the activity had been temporarily prohibited in several communities. However, following the confirmation of Card’s death, an alert was issued stating that hunting could resume.

The Lewiston incident marks the 36th mass killing in the United States for the current year, according to a database maintained collaboratively by The Big Big News, USA Today, and Northeastern University.

The report included contributions from multiple journalists, including those based in Concord, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine; New York; Washington, D.C.; and Boston.

(Note: The above text is a paraphrase and should not be considered a factual recounting of actual events. It is intended for illustration and discussion purposes.)

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More about Aftermath of Maine mass shooting

• Maine Department of Public Safety
• U.S. Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment
• Statement from President Joe Biden on Gun Violence
• Data on U.S. Mass Shootings in Current Year
• Maine Educational Center for the Deaf’s Statement
• Lewiston Community Reactions and Updates
• History of Gun Violence Legislation in the U.S.
• FBI’s Role in Mass Shooting Investigations