A standoff was taking place at a Bowdoin, Maine property on Thursday believed to be connected to Lewiston shooting suspect Robert Card, as it emerged a note he left at home was a suicide note addressed to his son.
FBI agents at 7:20pm were telling a person inside: ‘Come out with your hands up.’
It was unclear who they were talking to. Card, his parents and his brother and sister-in-law all live in the area.
The agents, using a bullhorn, told the person to come towards them, and asked if anyone else was inside. Helicopters were overhead, and drones.
Connor Clemente, a reporter with local news channel WMTWTV, said he heard the FBI ordering Card himself to come out of the house.
He tweeted that he heard: ‘Robert Card, you’re under arrest. We know you’re inside, come out with your hands up, we don’t want anyone to get hurt.’
Maine state police said that the orders to ‘come out with your hands up’ were ‘standard’, and refused to comment on who was inside.
A property in Bowdoin, Maine connected to Robert Card was surrounded by the FBI on Thursday night
The FBI agents, using a bull horn, yelled at whoever was in the house: ‘Come out with your hands up’
The FBI on Thursday night were shining a light on this window, on the upper floor of a home believed to belong to either Card’s parents or brother and sister-in-law
A series of four loud bangs were heard on Thursday evening near this Bowdoin, Maine home connected to Robert Card
‘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,’ said Shannon Moss, a spokesman for Maine state police.
‘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.’
Card, 40, has been on the run since murdering 18 people on Wednesday night in Lewiston, 15 miles from his Bowdoin home.
His abandoned car was found on Wednesday night seven miles from Lewiston, near the town of Lisbon, with a gun inside, NBC News reported.
It emerged on Thursday he may have been searching for his ex at the bowling alley and bar where he opened fire.
And
There was significant police activity at the Bowdoin home earlier, with a large presence spotted at 5pm.
A little over an hour later, at 6.18pm, a convoy of eight Maine state police and FBI vehicles moved swiftly along the narrow road by the property in the dark, and left the area.
These included a SWAT team armored vehicle and several black Chevrolet Suburban SUVs.
Shannon Moss, a spokesman for Maine state police, said that the activity at the Bowdoin property was ‘part of the investigation’, and said no gunshots were fired.
‘Law enforcement is at a home in Bowdoin as part of the investigation into the Lewiston shootings and the search for Robert Card,’ she said.
‘When it’s appropriate to do so additional information will be released.’
She added: ‘It’s a tactical operation.’
But the FBI then returned to the property around 7:15pm.
Law enforcement vehicles leave the area near a home connected to mass-shooting suspect Robert Card in Bowdoin, Maine on Thursday at 6:20pm. They were back around an hour later
His sister told law enforcement officials the 40-year-old Army reserve firearms instructor could have targeted Schemengees Bar and Grille and Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston in the hope of finding his ex, ABC reported.
Court documents show his ex-wife filed for divorce in 2007 and they were granted joint custody of their child – though it’s unclear whether she is his most recent ex.
Card is still on the run and considered armed and dangerous after he carried out the year’s deadliest shooting at around 7pm on Wednesday. It’s feared he may have fled on a boat he owns.
Ryan Koroknay, a spokesman for the Coast Guard, said a response boat crew has been dispatched from Boothbay Harbor, and a fixed wing plane from Cape Cod is also assisting with search efforts.
Card owns a 12-foot Sea Doo Jet Ski and previously registered a 15-foot Bayliner boat, The Sun Journal reported.
Koroknay would not say whether the Coast Guard was looking for any particular vessel.
Opening fire with an AR-15-style rifle, the gunman killed at least 18 people while injuring 13 more before fleeing.
As the multi-agency search for the armed fugitive enters its 22nd hour, cops have also uncovered a cryptic note at his Bowdoin home.
An aerial view of law enforcement personnel at the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant after deadly mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine
Four law enforcement sources told NBC New York that police are poring over the meaning of the letter, though the contents or date of writing have not been disclosed.
Officials were seen wheeling a victim in a body bag out of Schemengees the next morning as police combed the area for Card, who is charged with multiple murder counts.
The death toll could climb as many victims remain in critical conditions at area hospitals.