The local school district announced schools would remain closed Friday 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 a notice on its Facebook page Thursday evening saying schools would be closed on Friday. The district also provided information on how to help children cope with tragic events such as mass shootings. MSAD 75 covers Harpswell, Topsham, Bowdoin and Bowdoinham.
A man opened fire at a bowling alley and later a bar/restaurant, both in Lewiston, on Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and wounding 13 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.
It was the deadliest U.S. mass shooting so far in 2023 and the worst in Maine’s history, according to the Portland Press Herald.
A manhunt was still underway early Friday for 40-year-old Robert Card II, of Bowdoin, a U.S. Army reservist with a recent history of mental health problems who police have identified as a person of interest in the shootings. More than 350 state and federal law enforcement officials have been participating in the manhunt for Card.
Androscoggin County remained under a shelter-in-place order as of early Friday, as did northern Sagadahoc County, and residents were being advised to stay at home with their doors locked.
Many government offices, businesses, schools and day care centers across the region remained closed Friday due to the ongoing manhunt. The Drug Take Back Day scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 28, at the Harpswell Town Office has been canceled, the town announced Friday.
Maine State Police have opened up 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.
