Lewiston, Maine mass shootings

Where the search for Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card is focused

Investigators have received more than 530 tips and leads, and they've set up an FBI tip line for more — and it was confirmed that a note was found at Robert Card's home

NBC Universal, Inc. The two-pronged search for the murder suspect in this week’s massacre in Lewiston, Maine, continues by land, water and air, as law enforcement looks for Robert Card — whether he’s dead or alive.

UPDATE (Friday, Oct. 27): The man suspected in the Lewiston, Maine, mass shootings has been found dead, authorities confirmed. More details here.

A major focus of the search for Robert Card, the man suspected of killing 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, is a bend of the Androscoggin River in nearby Lisbon.

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Authorities on Friday shared a map of the area, where law enforcement was seen all day searching by land, water and air. They also shared detailed aerial maps of the two shooting scenes: Just-In-Time Recreation, a bowling alley on Mollison Street, and Schemengees Bar and Grille restaurant on Lincoln Street, about four miles away.

Card's white Subaru station wagon was found Wednesday night at Paper Mills Trail and Miller Park Boat Launch on Frost Hill Avenue, Maine State Police said, and an intensive search of the river around the area was begun.

An aerial view of Lisbon, Maine, where authorities were searching on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023, for Robert Card, the man suspected of killing 18 people in mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday night.

Helicopters were seen flying low over the river. Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said Friday morning that they were being used to determine "what can we clear from the air … can I tell from the top, based on the current and how muddy the water is, can I see all the way to the bottom?"

The two-pronged search for the murder suspect in this week's massacre in Lewiston, Maine, continues by land, water and air, as law enforcement looks for Robert Card — whether he's dead or alive.

Divers were also in the water — which was lower than usual, after authorities requested that a local hydropower company use its dam to decrease the current downriver.

"If we can slow that current down, we can lower the amount of water in the river — it's certainly easier for us to work," Sauschuck said.

On the shore, law enforcement on foot was line-searching on land — while heavily armed officers in Durham, across the river, were seen conducting a search. Authorities later said they flooded the area when a sheriff's deputy didn't respond to radio calls after checking a building where two 911 hang-up calls had come from.

Sauschuck said a search by land was planned for Moore's Island, in the middle of the river, as well.

Much of the river search was aimed at finding Card's body, in case he's dead. While that search was going on, another team of law enforcement agents was searching the area under the assumption he's still at large — he's been considered armed and dangerous.

"Clearly we don't have him located at this point, we don't have him in custody. So all of those options are on the table," Sauschuck said at the news conference.

Meantime, crews were still combing through the areas in and around the bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston for more evidence, Sauschuck said. He expected it would be days before that work would be completed.

An aerial view of Just-In-Time Recreation, a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine.
An aerial view of Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant in Lewiston, Maine.

Wednesday's shootings — the deadliest in Maine history, according to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine — have left the community reeling, but lockdowns remained in place for a large swath of central Maine while Card was unaccounted for.

Officials rescinded a days-long shelter-in-place order Friday night.

Investigators have received more than 530 tips and leads, and they've set up an FBI tip line for more: fbi.gov/lewistontips. Sauschuck also confirmed that a note was found at Card's home in Bowdoin, as NBC New York reported Thursday, but didn't share information about what was in the note, citing the ongoing investigation.

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A sign reading “Lewiston Strong” is displayed in Lewiston, Maine, on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.
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Jess Paquette expresses her support for her city in the wake of Wednesday’s mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine.
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Law enforcement officials gather in the road leading to the Bowdoin, Maine home of the suspect being sought in connection with the mass shootings, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
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Maine State Police Col. William Ross, center, appears emotional as he faces reporters while Maine Gov. Janet Mills, left, and Maine Commissioner of Public Safety Mike Sauschuck, right, look on, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, during a news conference at Lewiston City Hall, in Lewiston, Maine.
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Artist Miia Zellner walks away after nailing hearts she made to trees on Main Street in Lewiston, Maine, the day after mass shootings took place in the city.
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A sign on a Starbucks restaurant announces it is temporarily closed as people shelter in place following a mass shooting and subsequent manhunt, on Oct. 26, 2023 in Portland, Maine.
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Maria Wilson shows emotion near a reunification center set up at Auburn Middle School on early Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 in Auburn, Maine. Wilson came to the reunification center trying to find out information about a person she knew who was at Schemengees Bar and Grille at the time of the shooting.
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Law enforcement are seen outside the home of suspect Robert Card’s father and brother in Bowdoin, Maine on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
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Law Enforcement officials gather near a home as they prepare to search it for the suspect in connection with two mass shootings on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 in Bowdoin, Maine.
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Heavily armed police search the home of suspect Robert Card’s father and brother in Bowdoin, Maine on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
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Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office / AP
In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
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This photo released by the Lewiston, Maine, Police Department on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, shows a vehicle police are seeking information on in connection to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine.
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People depart an emergency department entrance at Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
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A view of the street while police officers close the road as they patrol around the surrounding area, October 26, 2023.
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Law enforcement officials are seen at Lisbon High School early Oct. 26 as a manhunt continues for the suspect in a mass shooting that took place the day prior.
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Police officers close the road as they patrol a neighborhood after issuing a warning about an ‘active shooter’ incident, October 26, 2023.
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People depart a reunification center early Thursday, Oct. 26 at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston.
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Law enforcement officers carry rifles outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
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Police presence at Schemengees Bar, one of the locations where the Lewiston mass shooting occured, on Thursday, Oct. 26.
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Heavily armed police boarded armored vehicles at Lisbon High School at daybreak as they search for the mass shooter, Oct. 26.
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Three vehicles transport bodies from Schemengees Bar and Grille, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The restaurant was the site of one of the two mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday.
LEWISTON, ME – OCTOBER 27: A business display a message in Lewiston, Maine, Friday, October 27, 2023. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
LISBON, MAINE – OCTOBER 28: In an aerial view, police vehicles are seen in the area near the Maine Recycling Center building where Robert Card, the suspect in two mass killings, was found dead on October 28, 2023 in Lisbon, Maine. Mr. Card, who had worked at the recycling center, allegedly killed 18 people in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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LISBON, ME – OCTOBER 27: Law enforcement members investigate at a site where a body of the suspect Robert Card is found in Lisbon, Maine, Friday, October 27, 2023. Card is believed to be the gunman who killed at least 18 people in Lewiston, Maine. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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LEWISTON, MAINE – OCTOBER 27: Governor Janet Mills of Maine is embraced before she announces to the media that Robert Card, the suspect in two mass killings, was found dead on October 27, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Mr. Card, who allegedly killed 18 people in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston was found dead in nearby Lisbon. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 27: A fan holds a “Lewiston Strong” sign after the game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat at TD Garden on October 27, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. A man gunned down 18 people with a semi-automatic rifle in a bowling alley and a bar where locals were enjoying an evening out on October 25 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Schroeder/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 27: The Boston Celtics players wear “Maine” shirts during the National Anthem at TD Garden on October 27, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. A man gunned down 18 people with a semi-automatic rifle in a bowling alley and a bar where locals were enjoying an evening out on October 25 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Schroeder/Getty Images)
A former Auburn, Maine, resident, who moved to Florida, says one of her daughters made it out alive from Just-In-Time Recreation, but the other did not.
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