SUSPECTED mass shooter Robert Card became obsessed with online conspiracies before he allegedly stormed a bowling alley and killed 18 people, police have revealed.
The twisted life of US Army Reservist and fugitive Card, 40, is coming to light as families in Lewiston, Maine mourn the loss of tragically young victims.
The Mega AgencySuspected gunman Robert Card who allegedly stormed a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday was interested in online conspiracies, according to cops[/caption]
Dispatch NYC for The U.S. SunSwarms of search crews have begun to descend on the river near where Robert Card’s abandoned vehicle was found as the manhunt continues[/caption]
Family HandoutSome of the 18 victims have been named, including 14-year-old Aaron Young, who died alongside his father, Bill[/caption]
FacebookRon Morin, a local described as being an upbeat and friendly, was also killed in the shootings[/caption]
FacebookBar manager Joseph Walker died trying to stop the shooter after he stormed Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, his heartbroken family said[/caption]
The massive manhunt for Card is nearing 48 hours, and police are still warning residents in and around Lewiston to take shelter and prepare for the high-profile search to continue.
Eerie details on the suspect have come to light as it was revealed he stayed in a mental health facility this summer after hearing voices in his head, Maine state police said.
Now, sources say he also “interacted with conspiratorial content” online that included concerns over a financial crisis, LGBT issues, and gun rights, ABC News reports.
According to sources close to the matter, Card liked content on social media that involved the classified documents found at President Joe Biden’s homes, conspiracies over the Covid-19 pandemic, and calls for the IRS to be abolished.
Card also interacted with commentaries claiming that Democrats interfered with the results of the 2020 presidential election, sources said.
The bombshell report comes after police found a cell phone and note after raiding Card’s home, but did not explain what the note said.
Card’s family acknowledged his stay in a mental health facility this summer but told media that this was out of the ordinary for him.
“This is something that was an acute episode. This is not who he is,” his sister-in-law Katie O’Neill told CNN.
O’Neill also speculated that he could have been looking for his ex when he went on an alleged shooting rampage.
VICTIMS NAMED
Victims who were inside Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille are starting to be named as the small community reckons with Wednesday’s events.
Two of the victims were a 14-year-old boy Aaron Young and his father Bill who were bowling together as part of a league, family members told Reuters.
It was youth night at the alley when the gunman burst in with an AR-15-style rifle fitted with a scope and multiple magazines and opened fire.
Bill’s brother Rob said that he flew out from Baltimore to help look for the pair on Thursday after no one heard from them
The family then tracked his cellphone and located it at the bowling alley, Bill’s cousin Kim McConville told NBC News.
“They’re just innocent people out for a night of bowling,” the heartbroken family member said.
“This was a children’s event. Who expects a shooter to go into a children’s event?”
Also in the alley was 73-year-old bowling instructor Bob Violette, who died valiantly defending children from the gunman, his family said.
“He loved those kids, all of them,” his daughter-in-law Cassandra told The Sun Journal.
When the suspect entered the bar, he was also met with the heroic efforts of manager Joseph Walker who grabbed a chef’s knife and sprinted at him to try and stop the madness, his father told NBC News.
But he was shot twice before he could ever get close.
“Joe was a great, great son, loving husband,” Leroy, Walker’s dad, said.
“He had two grandchildren and a stepson living at home with him.
“A hell of a loss for the community – It’s still a nightmare.”
Other named victims include Rob Morin, a local resident who was described as upbeat and kind, and Tricia Asselin, a 53-year-old part-time employee at Just-In-Time.
It’s believed that Asselin was killed trying to run to the phone and call 911, which her mourning friends say comes as no surprise.
“She would’ve put herself in harms way to help others,” her friend Sarah Proulx exclusively told The U.S. Sun.
Two other victims are Steven Vozzella and Bill Bracket, who were both part of a crew of deaf people playing cornhole at the bar, ABC News reports.
The identities of all the heroes who died saving the survivors have yet to be confirmed.
Seven victims – one female and six males – were found at the bowling alley.
Another eight victims were found dead at Schemengees Bar and Grille – seven male victims inside the building and one male outside.
Three more people died at local hospitals, Maine State Police Colonel William G. Ross said.
Card’s vehicle was found on the Kennebec River in Lisbon where he may have escaped on his 15-foot boat, police said.
Search crews have started to swarm the area, and divers started searching through the waters on Friday morning.
Lewiston is the second-largest city in Maine, but still only has a population of around 28,000 people.
The US Army‘s public affairs office at the Pentagon confirmed that Card was a sergeant first class in the Army Reserve and trained as a petroleum supply specialist, which involves shipping and storing fuel for military vehicles and aircraft.
He enlisted in December 2002 and has no combat deployments.
FacebookCard was a US Army Reservists and certified weapons instructor[/caption]
Dispatch NYC for The U.S. SunResidents of Lisbon, Maine, stand outside to watch swarms of armed forces[/caption]
Dispatch NYC for The U.S. SunATF set up a staging area near the river where Card had a boat[/caption]
Dispatch NYC for The U.S. SunOfficers are going on door-to-door searches looking for the suspect[/caption]
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