The local school district announced schools would remain closed Thursday as police continued to search for the perpetrator of two mass shootings Wednesday night in Lewiston that left at least 18 people dead.
Maine School Administrative District 75 posted to its Facebook page late Wednesday, “No school for MSAD 75 staff and students tomorrow, Thursday, October (26), 2023. All MSAD 75 buildings will be closed.” MSAD 75 covers Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.
A man opened fire at a bowling alley and then later at a bar/restaurant, both in Lewiston, on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and wounding more than a dozen others, according to The Associated Press. The shootings occurred at Just-In-Time Recreation, 24 Mollison Way, and Schemengees Bar & Grille, 551 Lincoln St., about four miles away.
A search was underway Thursday for 40-year-old Robert Card, of Bowdoin, who was reportedly trained as a firearms instructor at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Saco and who police identified as a person of interest in the shootings, according to AP.
Androscoggin County was under a shelter-in-place order as of early Thursday, as was the town of Bowdoin in Sagadahoc County, and residents were being advised to stay at home with their doors locked.
Harpswell town offices also were closed Thursday, and the town recycling center and transfer station closed at noon. Many government offices, businesses, schools and day care centers across the region planned to stay closed for the day.
Maine State Police have opened two tip lines and are asking those with any information about Card or the shootings to call 207-213-9526 or 207-509-9002.
Have a comment or news tip? Email J. Craig Anderson at craig@harpswellanchor.org.
