• 

The tense atmosphere gripping the state of Maine has come to a closure after the state's governor confirmed on Friday that the suspect in the mass shooting that killed 18 people has been found dead.

Ending a two-day manhunt, the 40-year-old Army reservist Robert Card was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and his body was found at 7:45 pm (2345 GMT), according to Maine public safety commissioner Mike Sauschuck.

Governor Janet Mills relayed during an emergency news conference, "I'm breathing a sigh of relief tonight knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone," a sentiment also echoed by the state's US Senator Susan Collins on X in which she said that President Joe Biden called her "to tell me the perpetrator of the heinous attacks in Lewiston had been found."

Biden relayed that the massacre brought "a tragic two days -- not just for Lewiston, Maine, but for our entire country", adding, "I will continue to do everything in my power to end this gun violence epidemic. The Lewiston community – and all Americans – deserve nothing less".

Body discovered near recycling center

In response to reports of an active shooter on Thursday, police and rescue teams arrived at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley around 7:15 pm local time. Subsequently, they received reports of another shooting at the Schemengees Bar & Grille, as reported by the local newspaper Sun Journal. At 8:15 pm, another shooting incident was reported at a local Walmart distribution center.

His body was discovered in Lisbon Falls near the Androscoggin River, according to authorities, as national media revealed that he was located near a recycling center which was his former place of employment before he lost his job there.

#Lewiston, ME, witnessed a horrifying mass shooting incident, resulting in a minimum of 22 fatalities & 50 people injured. shootings occurred at three locations: a Walmart distribution center, a bar, & a third site‼️#Maine #BowlingAlley #LewistonMaine #Massshooting #RobertCard pic.twitter.com/lrGWOjUoHY

— unblemish (@bhadrauli) October 26, 2023

Card, an army reservist, was never deployed in any combat zone, as US media reveal that he has been recently sent for psychiatric treatment after he claimed he was hearing voices.

'Everybody knows somebody'

Card's white SUV was found near the Androscoggin River and divers were sent in search of evidence or a body. Sauschuck announced hours before the big reveal the lifting of the lockdown around Lewiston that had closed schools and businesses.

An education center for the deaf and hard of hearing was hard-hit and among those killed at the targeted Schemengees bar-restaurant were four men who were former students, educators or parents with ties to the school, according to Karen Hopkins, the school's director, to AFP.

"It's a heavy time. Our community is shattered right now," she expressed.

This shooting incident is among the deadliest since 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowded music festival in Las Vegas, resulting in approximately 60 casualties.

The United States faces a distressingly high occurrence of gun violence, as it is a country with more firearms than its population, and attempts to regulate their proliferation consistently encounter strong opposition.