At least 22 dead and 50 injured in two shootings in Maine (USA) perpetrated by the same shooter

Police identify the alleged perpetrator as Robert Card, 40, whom they consider "armed and dangerous"

At least 22 people have died and between 50 and 60 have been injured in three shootings in the city of Lewiston, in the state of Maine (United States), which have been carried out by the same shooter.

The three shootings took place in a restaurant, in a bowling alley and in a third unspecified location, as reported by the American network NBC News, to which police sources have confirmed the provisional death toll.

"Apparently, the target of the chase is related to shootings that occurred on Goddard Road, Mollison Way and the 500 block of Lincoln Street," city authorities announced in a statement reported by the aforementioned network.

"Androscoggin County Law Enforcement is investigating two active shootings. We are encouraging all businesses to close while we investigate. The suspect remains at large," the Sheriff's Office posted on its Facebook account.

Two images of the shooter also appear in the publication, who appears holding a tactical rifle, and the authorities have asked to collaborate in identifying him.

Subsequently, the Lewiston Police Department confirmed on Facebook the identity of the shooter, Robert Card, 40, whom it considers "armed and dangerous."

City authorities have also asked citizens to stay inside their homes "with the doors locked" and not approach any strangers. Likewise, the person in charge of Maine's public schools, Jake Langlais, has announced the suspension of classes this Thursday in all educational centers.

For his part, the president of the country, Joe Biden, has already been informed about this and has spoken with the state governor, Janet Mills, with senators Angus King and Susan Collins and with congressman Jared Golde, to whom he has offered "full federal support" to deal with this "horrific attack," according to a statement from the White House.

The organization The Gun Violence Archive has reported that this is the worst mass shooting of 2023, and that it is number 565 this year. The file considers a mass shooting to be a shooting in which at least four people are injured, excluding the shooter.

In addition, the death toll is very close to the state's annual homicides in 2022, which reached 29, while in 2020 there were 20, according to data from the Department of Public Safety.