Massachusetts State Police (MSP) assisted law-enforcement officers throughout the region in their pursuit of Robert Card, the suspect in a mass shooting in Maine Wednesday night who was found dead Friday night, according to Maine Police.
Thursday night, local and state authorities surrounded a home owned by Card’s relative near Bowdoin, Maine and demanded that the suspect surrender, according to The Associated Press. Card allegedly opened fire at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine Wednesday night, killing at least 18 people and injuring 13, according to Maine State Police.
According to the Associated Press, authorities found Card dead Friday night with authorities believe to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
When Card fled the scene, he prompted a search that put MSP on alert. In a written statement sent to The Item Thursday morning, MSP spokesman David Procopio said the State Police Fusion Center was in regular contact with its Maine counterpart during the region’s police search for the fugitive suspect.
“Massachusetts State Police Col. John Mawn has been in contact with his counterparts from Maine and the other New England states to assess and coordinate capabilities for providing mutual aid to the Maine State Police. The full complement of Massachusetts State Police assets stand ready for deployment if requested, as necessitated by the evolving investigation and fugitive apprehension mission,” Procopio said.
As of Thursday morning, MSP was unaware of any confirmed nexus between Card and Massachusetts.
“We continue to monitor all available intelligence and will update our local law-enforcement partners and the public of any developments that affect our state,” Procopio said.
An MSP trooper assigned to the Bomb Squad responded to the Lewiston area alongside his K9 partner. Additionally, MSP deployed several Troop A patrols to the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border Wednesday night to be on the lookout for the suspect’s white Subaru. Procopio said the troopers were deployed out of caution.
“That mission was a standard proactive deployment. There was no intelligence that suggested the suspect had fled toward Massachusetts. That vehicle was later located abandoned in Maine,” Procopio said.
Thursday morning, an On the LookOut alert sent to police claimed that an identified vehicle was possibly connected to the shooting. Procopio said the alert originated in New Hampshire from a civilian motorist who reported to police in that state that she observed an occupant of that vehicle who resembled Card.
“At this time that sighting, and any connection of that vehicle to Card, is unsubstantiated,” Procopio said of the alert.
