The Maine State Police reported that at least 16 people were killed in the mass shooting on Wednesday night. The police urged the residents to stay vigilant as the suspect remained on the run.
The police alerted the residents on social media that there was an active shooter around Lewiston.
Mass Shooting in Maine
The Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office released the photos of the suspect to the public. According to Reuters, the suspect is a bearded man in a brown hoodie jacket and jeans holding a rifle in the firing position. The sheriff's office also said they were investigating two active shooter incidents.
The police said active shooter incidents are at Schemengees Bar, Grille, and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley. The police asked the residents to keep off the roads to allow emergency responders access the hospitals. The police also posted a photo of a vehicle they are investigating related to the shooting. The police asked the residents to contact them if they recognized a white SUV with a painted black front bumper.
According to The Epoch Times, the sheriff's office encouraged the public to help them and reach out via email and message on Facebook if they had identified the suspect. A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety has advised the residents to remain indoors, lock their doors, and remain vigilant.
"Law enforcement in Androscoggin County are investigating two active shooter events. We are encouraging all businesses to lock down or close while we investigate. The suspect remains at large," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook. Furthermore, Gov. Janet Mills said she was well-informed of the situation and highlighted the need for residents to follow the guidance of state and local law enforcement.
She shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she will urge people in the area to follow the direction of state and local enforcement. She will also continue to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with public safety officials. Central Maine Medical Center has posted on its website that the hospital needs more staff due to a mass casualty and mass shooter event. The hospital is coordinating with area hospitals to accommodate patients.
Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent, said he sincerely feels sorry for the victims' families, friends, and neighbors. King reassured that they would do their best to monitor the situation.
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Increasing Death Tolls in Mass Shootings
According to CNN, the death toll in Maine has been confirmed to be at least 22 killed in the mass shooting, one of the deadliest in the United States.
In August 2019, a gunman fired on shoppers at an El Paso Walmart with an AK-47 rifle, killing 23 in a shooting that prosecutors exposed as an anti-Hispanic hate crime.
The police reported that the number of annual homicides in the state varied between 16 and 29 since 2012.
The deadliest U.S. mass shooting in history was the massacre of 58 people by a gunman firing on a Las Vegas country music festival from a high-rise hotel perch in 2017.
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