Robert Card, the suspected gunman in the Lewiston, Maine mass shooting, is a registered sexual offender who has been arrested before for child pornography and is not allowed to legally possess a firearm.
Law enforcement sources estimate that between 15 and 20 persons were murdered in the killings.
22 people had died, according to an earlier NBC News report that referenced a Lewiston police source.
Not all of the fifty injured individuals were shot. According to the sources, some of them sustained injuries during a stampede. Sauschuck reported that residents of Lisbon, a nearby town, and Lewiston are under a shelter-in-place order.
A “vehicle of interest” was found in Lisbon, the commissioner said. Earlier, Lewiston police said they were searching for a vehicle and posted an image of what appeared to be a small, white SUV with a front bumper believed to be painted black. Maine State Police confirmed to CNN the image is of the suspect’s car.
Lewiston is about 36 miles north of Portland and is the state’s second-largest city.
“Please stay inside your home with the doors locked,” state police said in a post on Facebook. “If you see any suspicious activity or individuals please call 911.”
The city of Lewiston said that all municipal buildings are closed Thursday as the hunt for a shooter who caused multiple casualties in the city Wednesday evening continues, the city government said.
Schools are also closed. People were told to shelter in place after the shootings. Police identified a bar and a bowling alley as scenes.
The city said that non-emergency personnel should stay home. The shootings occurred around 7 p.m. ET, Sauschuck said. Lewiston police reported active shooting incidents at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley on Mollison Way, and Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant on Lincoln Street.
“We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate,” the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said in a post on Facebook Wednesday evening.
The sheriff’s office released images of a “suspect for identification.” The person can be seen holding a high-powered assault-style rifle.
