Elite border unit joins manhunt for Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card - Fox News

Elite Border Patrol BORTAC agents have joined a massive manhunt alongside FBI and hundreds of state and local officers for suspect Robert Card, following two mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, that left 18 dead Wednesday.incoming update…A law enforcement source told Fox News on Friday that a rifle has been found in the car that was abandoned by Lewiston mass shootings suspect Robert Card in Lisbon, Maine.Authorities also have in their possession a cell phone belonging to Card that was found in his home during a search by law enforcement.Divers were active at a site Friday along the Androscoggin River as the manhunt remains ongoing for Card, who is believed to have killed 18 on Wednesday in a pair of mass shootings in Lewiston.Card's Subaru was found abandoned near a boat ramp on Wednesday night.Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said Friday that divers will be "checking for potential bodies" and other evidence there."I'm not saying that the suspect, we know the suspect is in the water," he continued."What I'm telling you is you're going to see a lot of activity here.And I'm going to tell you that in advance.We've got nothing to hide in that regard at all.""Clearly we don't have him located at this point.We don't have him in custody," Sauschuck added.Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this report.Posted by Greg Norman A man who lives near Lewiston, Maine mass shootings suspect Robert Card exclusively told Fox News Digital on Friday that police searched and impounded a vehicle on at the suspected gunman's home in Bowdoin last night.Prior to the mass shooting Wednesday that left 18 dead, the neighbor said he heard someone on Card's property shooting guns in his yard for months “but didn’t think anything of it.”But recently, the neighbor said there were sounds of semi-automatic fire that “raised suspicions.”A visit to the home Friday showed no further signs of police activity.At least two kayaks were seen at the wooded residence along with a Sea-Doo personal watercraft.Card remains a fugitive and a massive police manhunt is unfolding to track him down.Posted by Chris Eberhart Investigators are looking into whether Lewiston, Maine mass shootings suspect Robert Card preplanned Wednesday night's attacks that left 18 dead.The 40-year-old Army Reservist is the sole suspect in the shootings and is currently facing eight murder charges.“Everything is up in the air. We don’t know at this point," Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, told Fox News Digital."It is unusual that a mass shooter wasn’t arrested at the scene or shoot himself at the scene.So it’s definitely something we are looking at."The whereabouts of Card remain unknown as of early Friday afternoon.Divers are currently searching a boat launch area along the Androscoggin River in Lisbon for signs of Card.His vehicle was recovered in that area earlier this week."I'm not saying that the suspect, we know the suspect is in the water," Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said Friday. "What I'm telling you is you're going to see a lot of activity here.And I'm going to tell you that in advance.We've got nothing to hide in that regard at all.".Fox News' Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.Posted by Lawrence Richard The US Marshals service has deployed deputies to Maine to assist local and federal authorities in the manhunt for Robert Card, a mass shooting suspect who has remained at-large since Wednesday night's massacre in Lewiston.“This is our expertise, finding people who don’t want to be found,” a US Marshals Service source told Fox News, adding that other Marshals Service assets from around the country are on standby to deploy.Personnel have also been sent to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.When asked whether the thinking is that Card is on the move, or hunkered down in the woods, this source answered: “We can’t pigeonhole him.We’ve got to just work the leads.”More than 80 FBI officials are also deployed to Lewiston and the surrounding areas.Other federal agencies, including DEA, the ATF, and an elite Border Patrol unit are assisting.Fox News' Jake Gibson contributed to this report.Posted by Lawrence Richard Police in Maine found the abandoned Subaru Outback of suspected mass murderer Robert Card at a boat launch Wednesday evening after a shooting rampage left 18 dead and 13 injured at two locations – a bar and a bowling alley.Although police identified Card, who appeared on surveillance video carrying a semiautomatic rifle into a bowling alley and then a nearby bar as a person of interest early, he remains at large Friday morning.Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said Friday morning that dive teams would begin searching the Androscoggin River with aerial support near the boat ramp where Card's car was found abandoned.Tactical teams, including state and local police and members of the ATF and FBI, served search warrants at properties linked to the suspect in his hometown of Bowdoin throughout the day and into the night Thursday but have not found the suspect in what a neighbor described as "his stomping ground." Authorities are also checking for potential camps or bunkers that he may have prepared in the wilderness.Agents from Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Marshals and the Border Patrol's elite BORTAC unit have also been called in to assist the manhunt effort.Separately, authorities across the region have been on alert for signs of his whereabouts, and the U.S.Coast Guard conducted searches in the Kennebec River and Boothbay Harbor.Read more on the Robert Card manhunt from Fox News' Michael Ruiz.Posted by Lawrence Richard A massive manhunt remains underway for Robert Card, a 40-year-old Army Reservist, who authorities have identified as the sole suspect in Wednesday night’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine that left 18 dead.Law enforcement officers are continuing to search in Lewiston, Lisbon, Monmouth and other surrounding areas.Where is Robert Card?Law enforcement officials have executed search warrants on local properties belonging to Card, even calling out on a megaphone, requesting he peacefully turn himself over.After two hours, the officers left.Public records show Card and family members own several properties in the city.Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said at a press conference on Friday that authorities recovered a note that the shooting suspect wrote and left behind at one of his residences. He did not share specifics so as not to reveal a motive.Investigators and those assisting in the search effort have run into the natural difficulties of Maine’s landscape, much of which is heavy forests.Deploying dive teamsOfficials are also conducting search efforts over local waterways as one of Card’s boats is unaccounted for.Authorities are searching the Androscoggin River, the Kennebec River and elsewhere.The U.S.Coast Guard is also searching near Boothbay Harbor.Sauschuck said at Friday's press conference that several agencies would be deploying dive teams into the Androscoggin River, near where Card's vehicle was found.He said the divers will be "checking for potential bodies" and other evidence near a boat launch site."I'm not saying that the suspect is in the water," he continued."What I'm telling you is you're going to see a lot of activity here. And I'm going to tell you that in advance.We've got nothing to hide in that regard at all."Getting assistance from the publicHe also said authorities are working over 530 tips and leads from the public and will resume overnight and each and every day until Card is found.“We're also continuing to do searches at the two primary venues here, the one being Schemengees Bar and Grill, and the second being the Sparetime bowling alley,” Sauschuck said.”“There are many, many moving parts and coordination of efforts involved between multiple agencies, we will attempt to provide as much information as possible as this investigation proceeds forward,” Lewiston Police chief David St.Pierre added at the press conference.Safety remains 'paramount'“Law enforcement continues to work diligently on this rapidly evolving investigation,” he added.“The safety of our community remains paramount.I want to assure all that a tremendous amount of law enforcement, manpower, time and effort is being utilized around the clock, in every effort to apprehend the suspect as well as to safeguard this community.”“I extend my deepest appreciation for all of our law enforcement partners who have responded from literally, literally around this nation. Again, I will ask the community to be as patient as possible with this process,” St.Pierre said.Card is believed to be "armed and dangerous" and authorities have urged the public to call 911 if they see the suspect.'Still days away'Sauschuck also said investigators are “still days away” from concluding the investigation and pushed back on criticism that authorities have not yet found Card.“We're going to be processing every square inch of these facilities, not only do you have the victims in question, but every one of those rounds that got fired and need to be investigated, every one of those cartridges and lays on the ground needs to be collected.The vehicles that are in those parking lot, everything that we do around us, we need to be careful.We need to be professional, and that's what we're committed to do,” the public safety commissioner said.“So I would expect that we're still days away from completing those particular investigations.”The manhunt continuesLocal law enforcement have partnered with state officials and federal agencies and bureaus for an expansive search over land and sea. These include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the U.S.Coast Guard.The Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), which has global capabilities and specializes in intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance, has also joined the search.BORTAC has been successful in resolving several high profile cases recently, including: Helping track and find escaped Pennsylvania murderer Danelo Cavalcante and Cleveland mass shooter Francisco Oropesa.BORTAC also breached and killed the Uvalde school shooter in May 2022.Posted by Lawrence Richard Authorities provide an update on the search for Robert Card, the sole suspect in Wednesday night's mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, where 18 people were killed.More than 80 FBI agents have joined the manhunt for the 40-year-old Army Reservist.Posted by Lawrence Richard President Biden has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for several days in remembrance of the 18 victims of Wednesday night's mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine."As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on October 25, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, October 30, 2023," Biden said in a proclamation on Thursday.He added: "I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations."Also on Thursday, the president called on Congress to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, among other gun control measures, following the "senseless and tragic" shooting."Once again, our nation is in mourning after yet another senseless and tragic mass shooting," Biden said in the statement. "Today, Jill and I are praying for the Americans who’ve lost their lives, for those still in critical care, and for the families, survivors, and community members enduring shock and grief."Biden then urged Republican lawmakers to "fulfill their duty to protect the American people" from gun violence."Work with us to pass a bill banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to enact universal background checks, to require safe storage of guns, and end immunity from liability for gun manufacturers," Biden said in the written statement released by the White House."This is the very least we owe every American who will now bear the scars — physical and mental — of this latest attack."Authorities said 18 people were killed and 13 more were wounded in shootings at the Schemengees Bar and Grille and a bowling alley on Wednesday night.Posted by Lawrence Richard Two senior law enforcement sources told Fox News that the Lewiston, Maine shooting suspect Robert Card planned Wednesday night's shooting well in advance and had several hiding spots ready for him to go to.Police in Maine identified Card as a suspect for shootings at two different locations — the Schemengees Bar and Grille and the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley — on Wednesday night, leaving at least 18 people dead and 13 injured.More than 36 hours after the deadly rampage, authorities have not yet located Card.A massive manhunt is underway, including in the city of Lewiston, the nearby city of Libson, and other areas including road and waterways.The sources added that an aircraft with heat sensing technology is flying above the search area.Officials have also not yet identified a motive for the shooting.Officials with the Department of Justice are working quickly to try to determine if the shooting can be classified as a form of domestic terrorism or a hate crime.Fox News' David Spunt contributed to this report.Posted by Lawrence Richard Family members have identified several mass shooting victims after a suspect is believed to have carried out a deadly rampage at two different locations, leaving 18 dead.According to Maine State Police, seven people died Wednesday night at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, formerly known as Sparetime Recreation.Six victims were male and one was female.Eight more people, all male, died at Schemengees Bar and Grille. Three victims who were transported to hospitals ultimately succumbed to their injuries.The victims include a volunteer youth bowling coach known for encouraging children and a bar manager, who died "a hero,” his father said, as he tried to confront the shooter.The father of Michael Deslauriers told CBS News that his son was among those killed at the bowling alley.The father said his son and a friend both brought their wives and several children to safety before charging at the shooter in an attempt to stop his deadly rampage.They were killed in the process.Joe Walker, the bar manager at Schemengees Bar and Grille, was shot twice in the stomach as he went after the shooter with a butcher knife, according to his father, Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker.“He died as a hero,” he said of his son.“And I don’t know, telling you the truth, what kind of night this is going to be from now until tomorrow when I wake up to the true facts that my son is dead — and I know he’s dead,” he told NBC News on Thursday.“I know it as well as I know I’m standing here telling you because he’s not here and he’s not at any other hospital and he’s not running the streets or he would have called us, because he manages Schemengees, so I know he was there.”Another deceased victim, retiree Bob Violette, 76, devoted himself to his volunteer job coaching the youth bowling league, according to Patrick Poulin, whose teenage son has been a member for three years.The youth league was practicing Wednesday night.“He’s taught so many people over the years how to bowl, and he wasn’t getting paid,” Poulin said.“We’ve really been focused on trying to keep the sport alive, and Bob was really an integral part of that.”Poulin described him as unfailingly approachable and caring.“Sometimes kids are having a hard time for whatever reason, discouraged or something,” he said. “He was great at picking them up and getting them to move along from that issue and get things going in the right direction.”Violette’s daughter confirmed his death to WBZ-TV.Surviving witnesses of the mass shooting described the horrific moments and shared how they escape the terror.One witness at the bowling alley, who identified himself only as Brandon, said he heard the gunfire — about 10 shots — which he initially mistook for balloons popping."I had my back turned to the door.And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon — he was holding a weapon.I just booked it," he told The Associated Press.Brandon ran down the alley and slid into the pin area.He then hid in the machinery.He was among a busload of survivors who were driven to a middle school in the neighboring city of Auburn to be reunited with family and friends."I was putting on my bowling shoes when it started.I’ve been barefoot for five hours," he recounted.Another witness, who was not identified, said he knew someone who was among the deceased.It's usually a pretty quiet town."The scene was just nuts, it was nuts," the witness said. "I can't really describe it because I don't have the words."He continued, "I know a lot of people that bowl there and, actually, a good friend of mine's sister was killed there last night.I'm just numb, really.""It's usually a pretty quiet town," he also said.The Associated Press contributed to this report.Posted by Lawrence Richard Maine State Police have released a detailed timeline of the mass shooting in Lewiston that killed at least 18 people and injured 13 more at two separate locations Wednesday night as the manhunt for suspect Robert Card intensified across the state.At 6:56 p.m., the Auburn Communications Center was alerted that an unidentified man walked into Just-In-Time Bowling, which was recently renamed from Sparetime Recreation, on Mollison Street in Lewiston and began shooting.Police said multiple 911 calls that followed confirmed the shooting.At 7:08 p.m., the Auburn Communications Center received multiple calls that a man had entered Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant on Lincoln Street and opened fire.Police said multiple law enforcement agencies and emergency medical personnel were immediately dispatched to the locations, which are about 4 miles apart.At 8:06 pm, police released a photo of the alleged shooter to the media.The surveillance photo showed a man wearing a brown sweatshirt and holding a rifle while walking through doors decorated with bowling pins and a bowling ball.At 9:26 p.m., the Lewiston Police Department received a call identifying the man in the distributed photos as Robert Card, 40, of Bowdoin, Maine.At 9:56 p.m., the Lisbon Police Department notified Lewiston Police that it had located a white Subaru at the Pejepscot Boat Launch in Lisbon. The vehicle was confirmed to belong to Card.Card remains at large as more than 350 law enforcement personnel from federal, state and local agencies continue to search for him.Authorities stress that Card should be considered armed and dangerous.Card is a "trained firearms instructor" who recently reported mental health issues,including "hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME," according to a Maine law enforcement bulletin shared with Fox News Digital.Card is also a Petroleum Supply Specialist in the Army Reserve, having enlisted in December 2002, an Army spokesperson told Fox News, adding that Card has had no combat deployments.Officials have yet to publicly name any of the 18 victims, and police said Thursday morning 10 of the victims killed have yet to be identified.Medical officials confirmed later that of the 18 victims, seven were killed at the bowling alley and eight victims were killed at the bar.The three remaining victims died to their injuries at a local hospital.Posted by Lawrence Richard Law enforcement officers visited a property connected to mass shooting suspect Robert Card in Bowdoin, Maine on Thursday night, issuing an order for him to exit the building.Officers could be heard yelling through a bullhorn at the residence for Card to "come out of the house" but the tactic seemed to be procedural and not suggestive that they thought Card was inside.“We would like to speak to you.Walk to the front of the truck with nothing in your hands.We want to do this safely for you and everyone else," a law enforcement officer could be heard yelling."Come out with your hands in the air and walk to the front of driveway. Again, you are under arrest.Please come out of the house now," the law enforcement officer can be heard saying.The law enforcement presence mostly left the scene by 9:00 p.m., without making an arrest.The Maine State Police released a Facebook post stating that officers were executing search warrants in the area."Law enforcement officials are currently on Meadow Road in the town of Bowdoin to execute several search warrants.The announcements that are being heard over a loud speaker are standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved.It is unknown whether Robert Card is in any of the homes law enforcement will search.Law enforcement officials are simply doing their due diligence by tracking down every lead in an effort to locate and apprehend Card," the Maine State Police wrote.Fox News Digital's Michael Ruiz and Chris Eberhart contributed to this report.Posted by Lawrence Richard At least 18 people were killed and 13 more injured following a shooting in Lewiston, Maine, which took place at two locations on Wednesday night, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said Thursday morning.The Lewiston Police Department identified Robert R.Card of Bowdoin, Maine, as a person of interest in a Wednesday night Facebook post.On Thursday morning, Card was considered a suspect after authorities issued an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder, law enforcement said.Card, 40, is being sought after the shootings at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Just in Time Bowling, which was recently renamed from Sparetime Recreation.He should be considered "armed and dangerous," and authorities asked the public to contact law enforcement about his whereabouts.A Maine law enforcement bulletin shared with Fox News Digital states that Card is a "trained firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve stationed out of Saco, ME."An Army spokesperson confirmed to Fox News on Thursday morning that Card has been in the Army Reserve for over two decades, receiving multiple awards for his service."Sgt.1st Class Robert R. Card II is a Petroleum Supply Specialist in the Army Reserve, enlisting in December 2002.He has no combat deployments," Army spokesperson Bryce Dubee said."His awards include the Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal x2, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon."The Maine bulletin also states that Card recently reported mental health issues, including "hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME." No details about his treatment or condition were immediately provided.Read more by clicking here: Who is Robert Card?Maine authorities identify suspect in deadly shooting rampagePosted by Lawrence Richard Officials at the Canadian border said they are "aware" of the ongoing manhunt for Robert Card, who is accused of killing 18 people and wounding 13 more during a shooting rampage in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday."The CBSA is aware of the tragic events in Maine.Our officers have been alerted to the high risk of this situation, and we are on the lookout with our law enforcement partners.Our thoughts are with the citizens of Maine and all those affected," Canada Border Services Agency wrote on its social media pages.Card has not been spotted since the deadly shooting Wednesday evening that spanned a bowling alley and a restaurant in Lewiston.As of Friday morning, the FBI, DEA, ATF, DHS, the Coast Guard, and other federal agencies have joined state law enforcement in the manhunt. Border Patrol's "BORTAC" unit has also joined the search effort.Posted by Lawrence Richard U.S.Border Patrol agents from an elite tactical unit known as "BORTAC" have joined the ongoing manhunt for Robert Card.According to a senior U.S.Customs and Border Protection source, BORTAC agents arrived on Thursday and are on the ground assisting in the manhunt.Recently, the elite tactical unit has been successful in resolving several high profile cases.In September, a BORTAC unit helped track and find Danelo Cavalcante, a convicted killer who came to the U.S.illegally while suspected of another murder in his home country of Brazil.BORTAC also found and captured the Cleveland, Texas mass shooter, Francisco Oropesa, in May.In May, the tactical unit breached and killed Salvador Ramos, who gunned down 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.Fox News' Bill Melugin contributed to this report.Posted by Lawrence Richard Live Coverage begins here