Who Is Robert Card? Ex-US Army Reservist Who 'Killed' 22 In Maine Mass Shooting

New Delhi: Police in Maine are searching for a man who is suspected of carrying out two mass shootings at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, killing at least 22 people and injuring many more. The man, Robert R. Card, 40, is a former firearms instructor and a U.S. Army reserve member who has a history of mental health problems and violence. Card was spotted on Facebook photos holding what looked like a semi-automatic rifle at one of the crime scenes on Wednesday. He was dressed in a brown hoodie and jeans, and had a beard.

Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said at a press conference that hundreds of police officers were working across the state to find Card, who is a person of interest in the case.

Troubled Past Of The Suspect

According to law enforcement sources, Card recently confessed to having mental health issues such as hearing voices and threatening to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco. He was also admitted to a mental health facility for two weeks during Summer 2023 and then released. He has been divorced twice and has three children, and has a record of arrests for domestic violence and other crimes. One of his ex-wives obtained a restraining order against him, Marca reported.

President Biden Offers Federal Support To Maine

President Joe Biden was briefed on the situation and spoke to Maine Governor Janet Mills, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and Congressman Jared Golden, offering full federal support after the attack, the White House said.

The president expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and praised the first responders for their bravery and professionalism.

The Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston said it was responding to a mass casualty, mass shooter event and working with other hospitals to take patients.

Worst Mass Shooting In U.S. Since 2019

If the death toll of 22 is confirmed, the massacre would be the worst in the U.S. since at least August 2019, when a gunman killed 23 people at an El Paso Walmart with an AK-47 rifle in an anti-Hispanic hate crime, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

The 22 deaths would also match the number of homicides that usually happen in Maine in any year. The state has had between 16 and 29 homicides per year since 2012, according to Maine State Police.

The number of U.S. shootings where four or more people were shot has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, with 647 happening in 2022 and 679 expected to happen in 2023, based on trends as of July, according to data from the archive.

The worst U.S. mass shooting on record is the killing of 58 people by a gunman firing on a Las Vegas country music festival from a high-rise hotel room in 2017.