The small city of Lewiston was turned the wrong way up when 18 residents, locals, relations and pals had been gunned down in America’s newest main mass capturing.
The gunman – recognized as suspect Robert Card – first focused the favored Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley simply earlier than 7pm, killing seven individuals.
The suspect then went to the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant and opened fireplace there minutes later, in line with authorities.
Seven males had been killed contained in the restaurant and one male was killed exterior.
Three different victims died after they had been taken to a neighborhood hospital, whereas one other 13 had been wounded within the assaults.
Mr Card – a 40-year-old US Army Reservist – disappeared, plunging a grief-stricken group into deeper worry of what he might do subsequent.
Over 48 hours later, police introduced that Mr Card had been discovered deceased, although many questions nonetheless stay.
The motive continues to be unknown.
And whether or not it might have been prevented is now the main target of debate.
Here The Independent takes a take a look at the unanswered questions.
Where is suspect Robert Card?
Maine’s Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck confirmed on Friday night that the physique of Robert Card had been present in an space of woodland, some eight miles from the scene of the shootings.
The US Army reserve is believed to have taken his personal life in an space close to a recycling facility the place he had been lately fired from, CNN reported.
Maine Department of Public Safety commissioner Mike Sauschuck mentioned the physique had been discovered at 7.45pm ET, and that he had known as the gunman’s household previous to the press convention.
“They lost a loved one in this scenario, and there were many of that family that was very cooperative with us throughout. So they deserved that phone call,” he mentioned.
Prior to this, Mr Card has not been seen since he allegedly opened fireplace on the bar in Lewiston on Wednesday evening.
Investigators traced his car to a ship touchdown in Lisbon – round eight miles from the crime scene – simply hours later.
Multiple legislation enforcement businesses had combed by means of counties in Maine ever since to search out him and residents in Auburn, Lewiston, Lisbon and Bowdoin had been all instructed to shelter in place.
Speculation mounted that police had been closing in on the suspect on Thursday night when a dramatic raid was executed on Mr Card’s residence in Bowdoin.
Maine police and FBI brokers had been heard shouting “FBI! Open the door!” earlier than getting into the property.
The dramatic scene nonetheless ended with no arrest and no signal of the US Army Reservist.
On Friday, authorities introduced that divers had joined the search, scouring the waterways near the boat touchdown the place Mr Card’s car was discovered deserted.
Mr Sauschuck mentioned that the dive groups had been checking for proof in addition to “potential bodies” within the Androscoggin River – elevating questions as as to whether he entered the river that evening.
What was the motive for the assault?
The motive stays a thriller with authorities providing no clues as to what could have pushed Mr Card to hold out the assault.
However, Sauschuck confirmed at an early press convention on Friday that the suspect did depart behind a thriller word after allegedly happening the killing rampage.
Officials have refused to disclose the contents of the word, hinting that it might level to a attainable motive for the killings.
Police sources had beforehand instructed ABC News {that a} “suicide note” addressed to his son had been discovered inside Mr Card’s residence throughout a search.
The sources mentioned the word contained the suspect’s rantings in addition to some private data comparable to checking account particulars.
As properly because the word, a legislation enforcement official instructed CNN that Mr Card’s cellphone had additionally been recovered.
Mr Card’s relations are mentioned to be cooperating with the investigation and have advised that he might need been on the lookout for an ex-girlfriend at one of many capturing places, ABC News reported.
It will not be clear who this former accomplice could also be – or if this did kind a part of a motive for the capturing – however court docket information present that Mr Card was divorced by his ex-wife in 2007.
In 2013, the court docket granted them each shared parental rights of their baby, who lives primarily along with his mom.
Mr Card’s household has mentioned that the US Army Reservist was struggling along with his psychological well being within the months main as much as the mass capturing.
His sister-in-law Karen Card instructed The Daily Beast that “in the past year, he had an acute episode of mental health, and it’s been a struggle”.
In a legislation enforcement bulletin despatched out on Wednesday, officers mentioned that Mr Card had lately made threats to hold out a capturing at a National Guard facility in Saco and had reported psychological well being points together with listening to voices.
He spent two weeks in a psychological well being facility this summer season after navy officers at West Point despatched him for an analysis.
Ms Card mentioned that issues had gone additional downhill lately.
The suspect had began carrying listening to aids for his listening to loss and was claiming that he might now hear individuals talking badly of him – together with on the bowling alley and restaurant the place the shootings befell.
On Wednesday evening, a cornhole competitors for members of the deaf group was being held on the restaurant.
Several of the group members had been killed within the capturing.
Could the shootings have been prevented?
The warning indicators seem to have been there with Mr Card – along with his threats in opposition to a National Guard base and severe psychological well being considerations.
Now, questions are being requested as as to whether the mass capturing might have been prevented if steps had been taken to forestall him from getting access to firearms.
Maine has very lax gun legal guidelines and folks don’t want a allow or a background verify to purchase or conceal carry a gun. Possession of semiautomatic weapons can also be authorized within the state.
The state additionally doesn’t have a purple flag legislation in place – a legislation used to forestall people from buying or possessing weapons if they’re feared to be a hazard to themselves or others.
However, it does have a yellow flag legislation that allows relations to contact legislation enforcement and search a short lived order limiting a relative from accessing firearms if they seem like struggling a psychological well being disaster.
Under the legislation, the person should first be taken into police custody for a medical analysis – one thing that did occur to Mr Card in the summertime.
On Thursday, Maine Senator Susan Collins mentioned that the yellow flag legislation ought to have been used.
“I don’t know whether there was a report to trigger the yellow flag law,” she mentioned in a briefing.
“It certainly seems that on the basis of the facts that we have, that the yellow flag should have been triggered.
“If, in fact, the suspect was hospitalized for two weeks for mental illness, that should have triggered the yellow flag law and he should have been separated from his weapons. I’m sure, after the fact, that’s going to be looked at very closely.”
It will not be clear what occurred after he frolicked within the psychological well being facility.
It can also be unclear if Mr Card’s household or navy officers took any steps to restrict his entry to firearms.
