'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, was under attack on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, when a gunman began shooting before moving to a restaurant where he shot more people. In all, the shooter killed at least 18 people and injured at least 13 at the time of writing this article, according to CNN.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of a mass shooting. Discretion is advised.
A 40-year-old man named Robert Card was named a person of interest in the shooting. While he managed to evade the police after the shooting, they are actively looking for him. They have asked the people not to approach the person of interest if they see him as he is considered armed and dangerous. Citizens have been asked to call 911 if they see Robert Card.
Among the people who managed to escape the mass shooting was a mother who protected her 11-year-old daughter from the shooter at the Maine bowling alley, per ABC News.
Another witness, who was present at the Maine bowling alley spoke about hearing a "loud pop" and addressing the shots he heard, the witness said:
“He was holding a weapon."
Editor's note: While some netizens are referring to Card as the "Maine shooter," the same hasn't been announced by the police. Thus, Robert Card will be referred to as "a person of interest in the shooting" in this article.
Witnesses described the panic as the gunman started the fire in the bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine
At the time of writing this article, CNN had confirmed that there had been 18 fatalities in the mass shooting along with over a dozen injured.
As mentioned earlier, Robert Card began shooting at the Maine bowling alley before he moved to the restaurant. The gunman entered the bowling alley, which was holding a kids' night, and opened fire on multiple people inside. He then fled to a restaurant ten minutes away to shoot more people.
Those who survived the shooting at the bowling alley told ABC News the scenario where some people hid inside bowling pin machines at the end of the lane. Others reportedly hid under tables and chairs as the shooter began firing.
A mother, Meghan Hutchinson, who was at the bowling alley with her child said that she saw the shooter when she turned around. She added that she wasn't sure if the shot he had fired was a "warning shot or if he shot somebody with the bullet."
She also said that all the survivors went in the same direction as there were swinging doors between the lanes where mechanical equipment was stored. Meghan stated that she was in the room with another parent who took their phone to call 911.
Another witness, Riley Dumont, told ABC News that her father placed tables and a big bench to help kids hide behind so they could be shielded from the gunfire.
Yet another witness told the Associated Press that he had just walked into the bowling alley when the shooting began. He recounted how he had just begun to put on his bowling shoes when he heard the shots and noted that he was barefoot for five hours.
"Just a normal night of bowling and out of nowhere he just came in and there was a loud pop," the witness said.
He continued to say that he initially thought it was a balloon popping as he had his back to the door. However, the moment he turned around, he saw the shooter holding a gun.
"I just booked it down the lane and I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up to the machine and was on top of the machine for about 10 minutes until the cops got there," the witness recalled.
The LPD took to their official Facebook page to say that they were looking for Robert Card, a person of interest in the shooting. The officers of the department have issued an arrest warrant for Card, who is considered dangerous and armed. More than 100 local and federal detectives are reportedly searching for him, according to the Maine State Police.
The number of exact individuals shot at the bowling alley and the Schemengees Bar and Grille on Lincoln Street, a few miles away, is still unknown. The injured people were taken to Lewiston's Central Maine Medical Centre by ambulance.
