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At least 16 individuals have reportedly been killed in the US city of Lewiston, Maine and a search is underway for the gunman.
The shootings started at 18:56 native time (22:56 GMT) on Wednesday at a bowling alley and a restaurant, police mentioned.
Lewiston residents, in addition to these in the close by city of Lisbon, have been instructed to shelter in place.
Police named Robert Card, 40, as an individual of curiosity and mentioned he must be thought-about “armed and harmful”.
The authorities haven’t but confirmed a dying toll however CBS, the BBC’s US accomplice, has mentioned the quantity is at least 16 after chatting with a number of legislation enforcement officers.
There have additionally been a number of however unconfirmed reviews of at least 50 individuals injured.
Michael Sauschuck, commissioner in Maine’s Division of Public Security, mentioned there had been “a number of casualties”.
Lewiston has a inhabitants of round 38,000 individuals and is the second-largest city in Maine after Portland.
Lewiston police mentioned officers had responded to reviews of capturing at two places, a restaurant referred to as Schemengees, and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley, which seem like about 4 miles (6.5km) aside.
Riley Dumont instructed ABC Information her 11-year-old daughter had been collaborating in a kids’s bowling league on the bowling alley when she heard a number of gunshots.
She mentioned her father, a retired police officer, had then corralled their household right into a nook.
“I used to be laying on prime of my daughter,” she mentioned. “My mom was laying on prime of me.”
She added that she noticed three or 4 obvious victims.
Billie Jayne Cooke, who’s operating for the city council in Lewiston, instructed BBC Information Channel she had been leaving an occasion as particulars of the capturing emerged.
“Helicopters, sirens, I’ve by no means heard a lot exercise in my life in this city. Now we have police from all around the state, from out of the state, developing,” she mentioned.
“The entire city’s on lockdown. It is horrible. You simply do not suppose that is ever going to occur and it did.”
In a press release on X, previously Twitter, Maine State Police mentioned: “There’s an energetic shooter in Lewiston”.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Workplace launched photographs of an individual of curiosity, saying he was at massive and asking for the general public’s assist figuring out him.
They confirmed a bearded man in a brown sweater carrying a firearm strolling right into a constructing.
Robert Card is a firearms teacher who was educated by the US navy at a facility in the city of Saco, Maine, in line with a state police bulletin seen by CBS.
The bulletin additionally mentioned he had frolicked in a psychological well being centre in the summer time of 2023 and had threatened to commit a capturing on the base.
The authorities additionally shared a photograph of a white car, saying its entrance bumper was believed to be painted black, and requested anyone who recognised it to contact police.
Mr Sauschuck instructed reporters that residents in Lisbon had been requested to shelter in place as a result of that was the place the car was positioned.
The Central Maine Medical Heart mentioned it was reacting to a “mass casualty, mass shooter occasion” and was coordinating with different hospitals in the realm to deal with the injured.
Lewiston Public Faculties Superintendent Jake Langlais mentioned in a press release that faculties in the district could be closed on Thursday.
A press release from the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) mentioned Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had been briefed and was persevering with to observe the scenario.
A US justice division assertion mentioned that federal businesses have been helping state and native legislation enforcement.
The White Home mentioned President Biden had spoken individually by cellphone to Maine Governor Janet Mills, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins, and Congressman Jared Golden.
Senator King mentioned in a press release he was “deeply unhappy for the city of Lewiston and all these fearful about their household, pals and neighbours”.
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