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Lewiston: A man fatally shot at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday night, sparking a massive search for a person of interest who is a trained firearms instructor. Meanwhile, authorities urged residents to lock themselves in their homes and schools announced closures on Thursday.

The shooting in the state’s second-largest city is the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. The database includes every mass killing since 2006 from all weapons in which four or more people, excluding the offender, were killed within a 24-hour time frame.

Here's what we know about the suspect and where the shooting happened:

Who is the suspect?

A police bulletin identified Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest in the attack. Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.

The document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition, but said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed the shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.

Where did the shooting take place?

Lewiston Police said they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away. A number of parents and children were at Sparetime as part of a children’s bowling league.

The bowling alley is about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) north of the Bates College campus, on the outskirts of downtown, and offers traditional tenpin bowling and candlepin, a variant found in New England.

Lewiston is the second-largest city in Maine with a population of 37,000. It emerged as a major center for African immigration into Maine. The Somali population, which numbers in the thousands, has changed the demographics of the once overwhelmingly white mill city into one of the most diverse in northern New England.

Maine has a longstanding culture of gun ownership tied to traditions of hunting and sport shooting. The state doesn’t require permits to carry guns.

The death toll was staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year.

What is the aftermath?

A shelter-in-place advisory was issued Wednesday for Androscoggin County, including the community of Lisbon, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said. It was extended Thursday to Bowdoin, which is in Sagadahoc County.

Central Maine Healthcare said Thursday it was closing all physician offices in Lewiston and six surrounding communities for the day. All elective surgery was canceled at Central Maine Medical Center.

Schools in multiple communities were closed out of caution Thursday, including in Kennebunk, an hour away from Lewiston. Classes also were canceled at Bates and Bowdoin colleges, and the Gorham and Portland campuses of the University of Southern Maine.

AP

Parbat: A team from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Department of Mines and Geology, has recommended the prompt relocation of six houses at Kuwapani of Jaljala Rural Municipality-5 in Parbat. 

The team visited the area on Sept 7 and assessed it as highly vulnerable to disasters and thus not suitable for human habitation, according to Parbat’s Chief District Officer, Prem Acharya. 

A significant landslide at Kuwapani had turned around 85 ropani of arable land into an arid land. Jaljala rural municipality vice chair Deepak Acharya said the landslide due to monsoon rains since late June has posed a grave threat to particularly six houses. The affected families sought refuge in a local community building and relatives' houses and with the rains subsided, they got back to their houses.

Achham: The historic Bimkot Durbar (palace), located in Mellekh Rural Municipality in Achham, has been handed over to the local government. Janak Bahadur Shah, the former ruler of Bimkot, transferred ownership of the palace to the local government during a ceremony held on Wednesday.

The palace covers an area of 6.5 ropani (one ropani is equivalent to 5,476 square feet), and Rural Municipality Chair Jwalasingh Saud assumed ownership.

This transfer of ownership signifies that the responsibility for preserving and promoting this historical heritage now rests with the local government. The palace is situated within a jungle area, with no human settlement in close proximity. The temple of Shodshadevi is positioned above the temple, surrounded by the Bimkotigadh and Chote River on two sides. 

This temple, established in the 16th century, received official recognition in 1997 BS. A stone inscription in Farsi language was discovered in the temple and has been placed on the Shodasadevi Temple premises.

According to Shah, the old Bimkot Palace was flattened by the major earthquake of 1990 BS. His grandfather, Nagendra Bahadur Shah, constructed the existing structures, a project that took 13 years to complete. 

The descendants of the rulers of Bimkot resided in the palace until the onset of the armed conflict. Historical documents and other valuable items associated with the palace were destroyed during the conflict. As a result, the palace is in urgent need of renovation.

Lekhanath: The reconstruction of the renowned Talbarahi Temple in Baidam, Pokhara Metropolitan-6, Kaski, has commenced. Metropolis Mayor Dhanaraj Acharya performed a puja to mark the beginning of the temple’s reconstruction during a ceremony today. The temple is located in the middle of the famous Fewa Lake in Pokhara.

During the event, local representatives emphasized that the responsibility for preserving and reconstructing the Talbarahi Temple lies with the people of Pokhara and the three levels of government.

As announced, the temple will be restored to its original form. The temple sustained damage in the 2015 earthquake, which caused it to tilt three inches southward.

The reconstruction project will be carried out in coordination with the Talabarahi Temple Guthi Management Committee and the Department of Archaeology. According to Committee Chair Hikmat Bahadur Kunwar, the estimated cost of the reconstruction project is Rs 14.5m. Of this amount, Rs 2.5m has been provided by the Department of Archaeology, with additional support expected from federal, provincial, and local governments, as well as the local community to complete the project.

With the demolition of the temple, a silver idol of goddess Barahi has been placed nearby through established rituals so that devotees can pay homage to the deity from there until the new structures are ready.

It is said that the main temple will be rebuilt within a year. The most recent temple structures were constructed in 2017 BS.

The temple’s existence dates back to 1667 AD, with some records even suggesting it might have been established as early as 1447 AD. The temple, initially founded by the then King of Kaski, Kulmandan Shah, holds significant historical importance.