Maine shooting: Authorities end shelter-in-place order as manhunt continues

Law enforcement has ended the shelter-in-place order for the town of Lewiston, Maine, as the manhunt for suspected mass shooter Robert Card continues.

The lifting of the order comes nearly two days after Card allegedly shot and killed 18 people at two different locations in the town. Officials also told the public to “remain vigilant,” and they have opted to keep a prohibition on hunting in place in Lewiston, Lisbon, Bowdoin, and Monmouth as the manhunt continues.

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“The decision to release that, or rescind that, shelter-in-place order is something that we’ve discussed internally as command staff members at the CP and saying OK, we’re looking at pros and cons. We’ve got communities that are locked down, that are shut down, there are families and schools and pharmacies and all those things,” Mike Sauschuck, commissioner for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said at a press conference on Friday evening.

“So we knew going in and have acknowledged that repeatedly that we know that that can have a negative impact on people. So the other side of that is we had very pointed threats early on in reference to these locations, and nothing specific since then.”

Sauschuck said the manhunt is still a “dangerous situation,” and he said the public should still heed warnings from law enforcement.

“While this is still absolutely a dangerous situation without question, we’ve got to make recommendations and ask the people that we serve as the people that we protect, to be vigilant, to pay attention, to listen to what we have to say,” he said.

Sauschuck also confirmed the identities of the 18 victims, who were killed by Card on Wednesday night.

The victims were Ronald Morin, 55, Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40, Joshua Seal, 35, Brian MacFarlane, 41, Joseph Lawrence Walker, 57, Arthur Fred Strout, 42, Maxx Hathaway, 35, Stephen Vozella, 45, Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34, Michael R. Deslaurier II, 51, Jason Adam Walker, 51, Trisha Asselin, 53, William Young, 44, Aaron Young, 14, Robert Violette, 76, Lucille Violette, 73, William Frank Bracket, 44, and Keith McNair, 64.

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Shortly after the press conference, CNN reported that Card had legally purchased the weapon he used in the mass shooting shortly before being hospitalized for mental health reasons over the summer. The report cited multiple law enforcement sources.

Card remains at large, and officials have said the search for him in various forms will continue into tomorrow. The next update from law enforcement is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday.