Maine shooting: Family of suspected gunman pleads for him to ‘reach out and do the right thing’

Robert Card, the suspect who allegedly killed 18 people in a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, is receiving pleas from his family to “reach out and do the right thing,” as he remains at large.

Katie O’Neill, who is Card’s sister-in-law, told the Daily Beast that the suspected gunman is “a good person in his heart.” She also pleaded for him to surrender and said that they can “handle things as a family” in the aftermath of the massacre.

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“We know he is out there and he is a good person in his heart,” O’Neill said. “After all of this, when he has time to reflect, he will be disgusted. We all want him to know that we love him and that we can handle things as a family.”

“He just has to reach out and do the right thing,” she continued.

O’Neill said Card had been claiming he could hear the people saying things about him at various locations, including at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley and Schemengees Bar and Grille Restaurant, where he allegedly shot people on Wednesday.

AP

“I have known Rob my whole life,” O’Neill said. “He is quiet but the most loving, hardworking, and kind person that I know. But in the past year, he had an acute episode of mental health, and it’s been a struggle.”

“He truly believed he was hearing people say things,” she told the Daily Beast. “This all just happened within the last few months.”

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Officials in Maine said on Thursday that seven people were killed at the bowling alley, one woman and six men, and eight people were killed in the bar, with seven being inside the restaurant and one being outside.

Card, 40, is accused of killing at least 18 people during his rampage on Wednesday night. He has been charged with eight counts of murder, with 10 more counts expected once those victims have been identified.