The latest:
- Police still searching for man who opened fire Wednesday at several locations in Lewiston, Maine.
- They are urging people to stay off the road, stay in their homes with their doors locked.
- Central Maine Medical Center says staff “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and is co-ordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.
A man opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, killing at least 16 people and engulfing the state’s second-largest city in chaos. The gunman remains at large and authorities have ordered residents and business owners to stay inside and off the streets.
Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press dozens of people also had been wounded. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Lewiston police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were dealing with an active shooter at both Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 6.4 kilometres away.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos on social media that showed a man walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.
Stay off roads: police
“Please stay off the roads to allow emergency responders access to the hospitals,” police said.
On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were co-ordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.
A woman who answered the phone in the emergency department said no further information could be released and that the hospital itself was on lockdown.
Melinda Small, the owner of Legends Sports Bar and Grill, said her staff immediately locked their doors and moved all 25 customers and employees away from the doors after a customer reported hearing about the shooting at the bowling alley less than a half-kilometre away around 7 p.m. local time.
Soon, the police flooded the road and a police officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building four at a time. Everyone in the bar is safe.
“I am honestly in a state of shock. I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” Small told The Associated Press. “But the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.”
The alert for Lewiston was made shortly after 8 p.m. local time. Officials issued an update around 10 p.m. for what they described as a manhunt.
“Avoid the area until authorities give the all-clear,” the statement said. “Seek alternative routes to circumvent the area and any disruptions. If already operating in the affected region, adhere to all instructions issued by local officials, including the shelter-in-place order.
“We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate.”
Lewiston is the second-largest city in Maine, according to its municipal website. It’s located about 50 kilometres from the state capital of Augusta.
