Manhunt under way in Maine after mass shooting

At least 16 people are reported to have been killed in gun attacks at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Maine.

On Wednesday evening, a gunman walked into a bowling alley in Lewiston – Maine's second biggest city – and fatally shot at least seven people before moving on to a nearby bar, according to Sheriff Eric Samson of Androscoggin County, who was quoted by The New York Times.  

The BBC said that there had "also been reports of at least 50 people injured", while a Lewiston city councillor who spoke to CNN said the death toll could be as high as 22.

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Residents in several towns in southern Maine were under "shelter-in-place" orders this morning as police continued to search for the man suspected of carrying out the killings. 

Police named 40-year-old Robert Card as a "person of interest" in their investigation and have appealed to the public to help identify him. Card "should be considered armed and dangerous", police said. 

Card is believed to be "a trained firearms instructor and member of the US Army reserve who recently reported that he had mental health issues, including hearing voices", said Reuters. He had also reportedly "threatened to shoot up a National Guard base". 

"Card was also reported to have been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks during summer 2023 and subsequently released," said a notice from the Maine Information & Analysis Center, according to Reuters.

There have been 565 mass shootings across the United States so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The number of mass shootings has "surged" since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, added Reuters, with 647 occurring in 2022.