At least 16 people have been shot dead and over 50 wounded after a gunman went on a shooting spree in the northeastern state of Maine in the United States.
The suspect reportedly targeted a bar, a bowling alley, and a Walmart distribution center before taking off.
Police immediately launched a manhunt for the suspect.
They did not say how many people had been killed or hurt. About 39,000 people live in Lewiston.
The Lewiston Police Department released a photo on its Facebook page of a person of interest, named as Robert Card.
“CARD should be considered armed and dangerous,” they wrote.
A state police bulletin said Card had been trained as a firearms instructor at a US Army reserve training center in Maine but had spent two weeks in a mental health facility during the summer.
Police earlier shared two photos of a bearded man in a long-sleeved brown shirt and dark combat trousers with a rifle raised to his shoulder. They also released a photo of an abandoned white SUV with its doors open, asking the public for information.
“There is an active shooter in Lewiston,” Maine state police wrote on the social media platform X.
“We ask people to shelter in place. Please stay inside your home with the doors locked. Law enforcement is currently investigating at multiple locations.”
The police were planning to call the press and reveal the number of people killed and those left nursing gunshot injuries.
At the time of this publication, the Central Maine Medical Center said staff were reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event and were coordinating with hospitals in the area to take in patients.
President Joe Biden has also been briefed about the attack and he is expected to issue an official statement.
