Army Reservist wanted for Lewiston shooting found dead
Robert Card's body was found two days after he killed 18 people in a mass shooting.
The Army Reservist wanted for Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, was found dead Friday night after an extensive manhunt.
Robert Card’s remains were found after a two-day manhunt at the recycling center where he had previously worked and was fired from. He died from a self-inflicted gunshot. He was found approximately eight miles southwest of Lewiston.
“Like many people I’m breathing a sigh of relief tonight knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone,” Maine Gov. Janet Mills said at a press conference Friday night.
On Wednesday, Oct. 25, Card attacked a bowling alley in Lewiston, opening fire on patrons. He then went to a bar in the town a few minutes later and continued firing. Card killed 18 people across the two locations and injured 13 others. So far law enforcement have not said what the motive for the mass shooting was.
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Card, 40, served as a sergeant in the Army Reserve, working as a petroleum supply specialist. According to the U.S. Army he enlisted in 2002 and never deployed for combat. Last summer he was training with the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment. During that time he was seen to be acting erratically on July 16 and underwent a mental health evaluation while his unit was at the United States Military Academy in West Point. According to the Associated Press, an alert sent to police after the mass shooting said that Card was sent to a mental health hospital for “‘hearing voices and threats to shoot up’ a military base.”
Card was from a town 35 minutes away from Lewiston. Police searched a home there on Thursday but did not locate him.
Despite the presence of hundreds of law enforcement officers following the mass shooting, Card was not found for two days. His car was discovered on Wednesday night, not far from where his body would be located later. A gun was found in the vehicle.
Much of the area around Lewiston had been in lockdown since the mass shooting. A vigil for the victims is set for this Sunday.
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