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A US Army reservist suspected of killing at least 18 people in Maine had been taken by police for an evaluation after military officials became concerned that he was acting erratically in mid-July, a US official told The Associated Press.
The official said commanders in the Army Reserve's 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment became concerned in mid-July that Robert Card was acting erratically while the unit was training at the US Military Academy at West Point in New York.
The official said military commanders became concerned about Card's safety and asked for the police to be called. New York state police took Card to the Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point for evaluation, the official said.
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The official was not authorised to publicly discuss information about the incident and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The new information comes as the death toll from the mass shooting rises, while the hunt for Card continues.
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A man shot and killed the victims at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes on Thursday under a shelter-in-place advisory.
Maine's governor announced during a press conference on Thursday (2am Friday AEDT) that at least 18 people were killed and 13 were injured in the shootings.
Gov. Janet Mills said the suspect, who remains at large, is considered "armed and dangerous".
"This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security," she said.
An arrest warrant for eight counts of murder have been issued for the suspect in the shootings at a Maine bowling alley and a restaurant, according to state police.
As more victims are identified, the counts against suspect Robert Card will probably grow to 18, Maine State Police Col. William Ross said.
Police responded to a "very fast moving, very dangerous scene," Ross said, noting that seven people were found dead at the bowling alley and eight at the bar, including one victim who was outside. All had gunshot wounds.
Three people who were taken to hospitals also died, Ross said.
A police bulletin identified Card, 40, as a person of interest in the attack in Lewiston that sent panicked bowlers scrambling behind pins, into corners and a back room when shots rang out around 7pm on Wednesday (10am Thursday AEDT).
Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the US Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.
The document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in mid-2023.
It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reported "hearing voices and threats to shoot up" the military base.
As the manhunt continues to locate the suspect, a shelter-in-place advisory has been extended.
It was issued on Wednesday for Androscoggin County, including the community of Lisbon, about 13 kilometres away, after a "vehicle of interest" was found there, authorities said. It was then extended Thursday to Bowdoin, which is in Sagadahoc County.
Some in the area woke up on Thursday to officers with long guns scouring their neighbourhoods.
"Nerves are rattled right now – keeping an eye on the woods," said Cory, a resident of nearby Lisbon, Maine, whose 10-year-old daughter was inside his home.
"That actually made me feel better. Seeing the cops coming around here, that makes me feel a million times better.
"In the situation like this," he told CNN, "I wish I had a firearm.
Central Maine Healthcare said on Thursday it was closing all physician offices in Lewiston and six surrounding communities for the day. All elective surgery was cancelled at Central Maine Medical Centre.
Major Northeast grocery chain Hannaford Supermarkets kept all its Maine stores closed early on Thursday, the company said.
While schools in multiple communities were closed out of caution on Thursday, including in Kennebunk, an hour away from Lewiston. Classes also were cancelled at Bates and Bowdoin colleges, and the Gorham and Portland campuses of the University of Southern Maine.
With a death toll of 18, the rampage appears to be the deadliest mass shooting of 2023 in the United States, adding to a grim docket of 565 such incidents this year across the country, with four or more shot excluding the shooter, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
It also is the deadliest mass shooting since a gunman in May 2022 killed 19 students and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas.
Wednesday's death toll is also staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year.
Author Stephen King responded to the shootings on Thursday morning in a pair of posts on X, formerly known as Twitter.
https://twitter.com/StephenKing/status/1717494552859213988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
"The shootings occurred less than 50 miles from where I live. I went to high school in Lisbon. It's the rapid-fire killing machines, people. This is madness in the name of freedom. Stop electing apologists for murder," he wrote.
Maine doesn't require permits to carry guns, and the state has a longstanding culture of gun ownership that is tied to its traditions of hunting and sport shooting.
It's the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
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