October 25, 2023 - Lewiston, Maine mass shootings

Our live coverage of the hunt for the suspect in the Maine mass shooting has moved here

A shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine, left 18 dead and 13 more injured Wednesday evening after a gunman opened fire on a bowling alley and a restaurant.

Lewiston is a sprawling residential and industrial area just off the Maine Turnpike and is home to two hospitals and the private liberal arts school Bates College. It’s a largely working-class community, with a median household income of about $48,000 and in which about 16% of the population lives in poverty, according to the US Census.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills governor, who met her husband in Lewiston, described it as a “special place.”

“It’s a close-knit community with a long history of hard work, of persistence, of faith, of opening its big heart to people everywhere,” Mills said. “This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security. No city does, no state, no people.”

President Joe Biden has spoken by phone with Maine lawmakers and “offered full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” the White House said in a statement.

Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline is “heartbroken for our city and our people,” he said. “Lewiston is known for our strength and grit and we will need both in the days to come.”

Lewiston Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce President Shanna Cox on Thursday called the scene of both attacks “family locations.”

“It was family league activity at the bowling alley. The likeliness of this having direct impact for so many here is so real.”

Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque lost friends in the shooting, he told “CNN This Morning.” A teenager who went to school with his son was shot and is expected to recover, he said.

“There’s going to be very few people in this community that have not been touched by this,” he said. “It’s going to be with me for the rest of my life, and it’s really hard for me to explain that.”

“The other folks that I knew that were there either as witnesses or family members of witnesses; it’s obviously traumatic,” Levesque said. “The bright spot was seeing individuals reunified with their loved ones after not knowing for so long, but on the on the other side, the ones that were waiting and waiting, probably would never be reunified.”

Peyton Brewer-Ross, 39, was participating in a cornhole tournament at Schemengees Bar and Grille when he was killed during Wednesday’s mass shooting in Lewiston, his brother Ralph Brewer told CNN. 

Brewer-Ross loved playing cornhole and enjoying hanging out with friends at Schemengees, his brother said.

“It’s just surreal and sad. Now my brother is not here anymore along with 17 other people,” Brewer told CNN in a phone interview on Thursday. “He just went to play cornhole. He is the nicest person you would ever meet. He never had a bad thing to say about anyone.”

Brewer-Ross “loved being a dad more than anything else,” his brother said. Two weeks ago, Brewer-Ross celebrated his daughter Elle's second birthday. 

“She woke up telling her mom, Rachel [Sloat], ‘where’s daddy, where’s daddy.’” Brewer said. “At two-years-old, she isn’t going to remember any of this, but in the same breath, she isn’t going to have her dad be there the rest of her life.” 

In the past five years, Brewer-Ross worked his way through the iron pipefitter apprenticeship program and graduated last year. When he wasn’t spending time with his family, he enjoyed comics, cornhole, playing games and having fun with friends, his brother said. 

“We are walking around in a daze not knowing what to say, what to do, or how to act, because of a senseless shooting,” Brewer said. “It’s so unbelievable that this can continue to happen over and over again and nothing changes.”

The town of Lisbon, Maine, is asking residents to continue to shelter in place throughout the overnight hours as officials continue to search for the suspect in Wednesday night's deadly mass shooting.

“Shelter-in-Place: We kindly request all Lisbon residents to continue sheltering in place throughout the overnight hours. Your safety is our top priority,” the town said in an update Thursday evening.

All Lisbon schools and town-owned buildings will be closed tomorrow, the update noted. 

Lisbon is about eight miles southeast of Lewiston, where the shooting rampage unfolded on Wednesday evening.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) SWAT teams on Thursday conducted a search of the last known address associated with Robert Card, the suspect in a Wednesday night shooting rampage that left 18 people dead in Lewiston, law enforcement sources told CNN.

The sources told CNN that once FBI SWAT teams cleared the house, investigators came in to execute the search warrant, looking for items like computers, notes, weapons and any evidence that might indicate a plan to carry out the shootings.

Card, 40, is facing an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

State and local investigators did a similar style entry and search at another location, as well as a search of Card's car on Thursday, the sources told CNN.

Law enforcement officials returned to the Lewiston shooting suspect's last known address on Thursday evening, according to CNN teams on site. At least five law enforcement vehicles, including an armored vehicle, were seen at the scene, CNN reported.

A spokesperson with the Maine Department of Public Safety told CNN law enforcement is "not positive Robert Card is in this house," adding officials are "simply doing our due diligence."

In Lisbon, investigators recovered a gun on Thursday while searching an abandoned car at a boat launch connected to the suspect, but it hasn’t been determined whether the firearm was used in Wednesday’s shooting rampage, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Tommy Conrad, 34, was identified as one of the victims of the Lewiston, Maine, mass shootings, his family confirmed to CNN affiliate WMTW.

Conrad was the manager at the bowling alley, one of the two locations of last night's shooting rampage. He is survived by his nine-year-old daughter. 

Residents of Auburn should stay vigilant as the search for shooting suspect Robert Card continues, Mayor Jason Levesque said on Thursday.

“We are Mainers, stay vigilant, practice good situational awareness,” Levesque said. He said that the community is still in shock following the deadly shootings that took place in the neighboring town of Lewiston.

“Focus is on finding the suspect, bringing him to justice and then we can focus on closure,” Levesque said.

The mayor highlighted the authorities and medics response to the shootings on Wednesday. “They all came in on-duty, off-duty,” Levesque said, “They rushed to the scene.”

Law enforcement officials returned to the Lewiston shooting suspect's last known address on Thursday evening, according to CNN teams on the scene.

A spokesperson with the Maine Department of Public Safety, Shannon Moss, told CNN law enforcement is "not positive Robert Card is in this house," adding officials are "simply doing our due diligence."

Investigators detected something inside or near Card’s home, which has prompted the activity, a law enforcement official said. They don’t know what or who it is. 

At least five law enforcement vehicles, including an armored vehicle, are on scene, CNN reports. 

Card, 40, is facing an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder and should be considered armed and dangerous, police said.

Law enforcement sources told CNN a search on Thursday of the last known address associated with Robert Card, the suspect in two shootings that left 18 people dead in Lewiston, was conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) SWAT teams.

The search was based on Card's association with the address in Bowdoin, Maine, the law enforcement sources said.

The sources told CNN that once FBI SWAT teams cleared the house, investigators came in to execute the search warrant, looking for items like computers, notes, weapons and any evidence that might indicate a plan to carry out the shootings.

CNN heard loud bangs near that address on Thursday, including someone shouting "FBI" through a bullhorn.

State and local investigators did a similar style entry and search at another location, as well as a search of Card's car on Thursday, the sources said. Similar searches of additional locations are expected in the coming days, the sources said.