Key Points
- At least 22 people have been reportedly killed with dozens more wounded after shootings in the US state of Maine.
- The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect was still at large.
- Maine State Police have asked people to shelter in place as the investigation continues.
At least 22 people have been killed and up to 60 wounded in mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, NBC News reported, citing a Lewiston police source.
Maine State Police and a county sheriff previously reported there had been an active shooter on Wednesday night (local time) but did not provide details.
“There is an active shooter in Lewiston,” Maine state police said 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.”
County sheriff’s office say suspect still at large
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office posted two photographs of the suspect on Facebook, saying he was at large.
The county sheriff asked for the public’s help in identifying the pictured suspect, a bearded man in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans holding a rifle in the firing position.
The Central Maine Medical Centre in Lewiston issued a statement saying it was “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and coordinating with area hospitals to take patients.
Lewiston is part of Androscoggin County and about 56km north of Maine’s largest city, Portland.
The Sun Journal, citing a Lewiston police spokesperson, reported shootings at three separate businesses: Sparetime Recreation, Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, and a Walmart distribution centre.
Police responding to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine. Source: AP / Robert F. Bukaty
US President Joe Biden has been briefed and will continue to receive updates, a US official said in Washington.
Maine Governor Janet Mills said in a statement she had been briefed on the situation.
Maine senator Angus King said he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends and neighbours” and was monitoring the situation.
The US’ deadliest mass shooting since 2019
The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting in the United States since at least 2019, when 22 people were killed in a .
In May 2022, a gunman s, killing 19 children and two teachers, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The number of US shootings in which four or more people were shot has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, with 647 occurring in 2022 and 679 projected to occur in 2023, based on trends as of July, according to data from the archive.
The deadliest US mass shooting on record is the massacre of 58 people by a gunman firing on a Las Vegas country music festival from a high-rise hotel perch in 2017.
This is a developing story and this article will be updated. Follow the latest from SBS News at , or on the SBS News app available on or .
