Suspect in Maine mass shooting found dead, police say

The man suspected of killing 18 people and wounding 13 in a shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine, was found dead on Friday, ending a 48-hour manhunt that followed the most lethal episode of gun violence in the state's history.

The body of Robert Card, 40, was discovered near the neighbouring town of Lisbon, where police found his abandoned vehicle shortly after the shootings on Wednesday night.

"He is dead," Maine Gov. Janet Mills told a news conference late Friday, thanking the hundreds of officers from various agencies involved in the search, which saw police comb through wooded areas, various properties and a portion of a river.

"Like many people, I am breathing a sign of relief tonight, knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone," Mills said.

Card died of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, said Commissioner Mike Sauschuck of Maine's Department of Public Safety.

Family assisted investigators

In a follow-up news conference on Saturday, Sauschuck said Card's family called investigators to provide his name to law enforcement soon after police released surveillance pictures of the shooter.

"This family has been incredibly co-operative with us," Sauschuck said. "Truth be told the first three people that called us … were family members."

Card's body was found in a trailer at a recycling centre.

Sauschuck said police teams — including a tactical team — had scoured the Maine Recycling Corp. property that features as many as 60 trailers on Thursday night.

Another state police team returned the site Friday and found Card's body in a trailer that hadn't been searched.

Officials said Card, a U.S. army reservist and trained firearms instructor, opened fire in a bowling alley and then a bar minutes later on Wednesday night.

Law enforcement officials said he had a history of mental illness, but in the Saturday news conference, Sauschuck said there was no evidence that Card had ever been involuntarily committed.

"Just because there appears to be a mental health nexus to this scenario, the vast majority of people with mental health diagnosis will never hurt anybody," he said.

As for why Card chose his targets, Sauschuck said it was likely due to paranoia, that he thought people were talking about him.

The shootings and prolonged manhunt for Card convulsed the normally bustling but serene community of Lewiston, a former textile hub and the second-most populous city in Maine.

Street life returned to Lewiston Saturday morning after a lockdown that lasted until late Friday.

Joggers took advantage of the warm weather. People walked dogs through downtown and picked up coffees and visited other shops that had been closed since the shooting.

Whitney Pelletier hung a hand-drawn "Lewiston Strong" sign in the glass door of her downtown cafe, Forage, on Saturday morning.

Like other local businesses, Forage has been closed for days as police searched for Card.

"Last night when they found his body, I think the fear that I had been holding onto just living in downtown Lewiston was replaced with sadness," Pelletier said.