Maine’s public safety commissioner has named all 18 victims of the mass shooting in Lewiston and said all of their families have been notified.
Photos of the victims were posted on a board behind Commissioner Mike Sauschuck as he read the names at a news conference Friday. A moment of silence followed the reading of the names.
Sauschuck also said officials have lifted a shelter in place order for communities instituted after the mass shooting Wednesday night, but the search for the suspect continues.
“This is not to say the crisis is over, the emergency is over,” Sauschuck said. “We want residents to remain vigilant.”
All 18 of the people who died in a mass shooting in Maine have been identified, according to the state medical examiner
The 16 males and two females killed Wednesday night ranged in age from 14 to 76, the medical examiner said Friday.
According to Maine State Police, seven people died at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and eight more died at Schemengees Bar and Grille. Three others died after being taken to hospitals.
Authorities have not released the victims’ names, but their family members have been confirming their deaths.
As officials in Maine search for mass shooting suspect Robert Card, hunters are preparing for a big moment in deer season Saturday.
“Maine Resident Only Day” serves as the kickoff to the busiest stretch of the state’s popular deer hunting season.
Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said at a news conference Friday morning that he was aware that the season was starting and he had conversations about it with Judy Camuso, the commissioner of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. People should expect to hear more about that later in the day, he said.
“It’s a big deal in Maine and it may not big deal for a lot of people from other communities, but we know what that’s going to look like,” Sauschuck. “We also know we’re in the woods. You know, if you just happen to be in the woods, minding your own business, going for a walk, that’s going to make us a little concerned.”
Investigators found a note at a home associated with Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card on Thursday that was addressed to his son, two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.
The officials described it as a suicide note but said it didn’t provide any specific motive for the shooting.
Card’s cellphone had also been recovered in the home, making a search more complicated because authorities routinely use phones to track suspects, the official said.
A gun was found in the white Subaru that Card abandoned, the officials said. Federal agents were testing the gun to determine if it was used in the shooting and conducting a trace to determine when and where the gun was obtained, the officials said.
Federal agents conducted several searches of properties associated with Card on Thursday, collecting a number of items, including electronics. Investigators are also analyzing Card’s financial information and reviewing his social media posts, writings and his mental health history, the officials said.
The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
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