LEWISTON, MAINE: At a press conference held by the Maine state government on Saturday, October 28, authorities gave an update on the manhunt for mass shooting suspect Robert Card whose dead body was found two days after the incident.
The 40-year-old man was sought by the police as a 'person of interest' in the Lewiston deadly shooting on Wednesday, October 25, which left 18 dead and 13 others injured.
Robert Card's body was found in an overflow parking location
Card, who is a firearm instructor, opened gunfire in Lewiston at Schemengees Bar and Grille and the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley before fleeing the scene.
The suspect was admitted to a mental health institution in the summer of 2023 for a few weeks for mental health difficulties.
Speaking about the two-day manhunt that ultimately ended on Friday, October 27, after Card's body was found in an overflow parking location, Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said, "The Maine State Police tactical team ultimately were the ones that located the body within one of those trailers."
"This is a tractor-trailer style — you know, you picture that 18-wheeler. This is what the trailer would look like. A box trailer is where he was located. Right in the back of that," Sauschuck added.
"So he was found inside one of those boxes that was unlocked from the outside," Sauschuck continued, reports Fox News.
Following the horrifying shooting, multiple cities and towns in Maine were in lockdown as authorities warned people not to approach Card saying he was "armed and dangerous."
Authorities appreciate help from Robert Card's family
Multiple agencies, including the FBI, the BORTAC Border Border Patrol units, SWAT, and hundreds of law enforcement officers worked together to locate Card.
"I was asked about the cooperation of the family at one point, and this family has been incredibly cooperative with us," stated Sauschuck.
"Truth be told, I think the first three people that called us to positively identify this individual based on the photos that were released were family members," he continued.
According to state officials, a "family assistance center" will be established at a central location to cater to the needs of the shooting victims' families.
Sauschuck said the center is "intended to be a one-stop-shop kind of thing, one central space for victims and their support persons to gather so that they don't have to make multiple stops for multiple different agencies to seek assistance."
