At least 22 killed in Maine mass shooting

INA-  sources


The sequence of events unfolded as it usually does — a pattern that is tragically familiar in the United States. First, it became known that there was a gunman in Lewiston, the second most populous city in the small northeastern state of Maine. Then, that he had targeted various locations, which in the end turned out to be two: a bowling alley and a restaurant. Police then reported “multiple victims,” without giving further details, and that the suspect was “active” and at large. Authorities warned that residents should shelter in place in their homes until further notice. A photo of the shooter — an anxious-looking white man in a hunting stance, skinny, tall, bearded and holding a scoped assault rifle — did not bode well. The city hospital went on alert. And finally, after 9:00 p.m. local time came the fatal confirmation: according to local authorities, the suspect killed at least 22 people and left dozens wounded, “between 50 and 60.”

This is, according to Gun Violence Archive, an organization that monitors gun violence in the United States, the 565th mass shooting so far this year. To get added to the list, a shooting has to result in four people wounded or killed by bullets, not counting the assailant. The victims cannot be members of the same family. The total comes out to almost two mass shootings per day in 2023. This week alone, three other shootings have been recorded before the one in Lewiston (about 35,000 inhabitants), with three dead in total in incidents in Illinois, Colorado, and North Carolina.

Until Wednesday, if the preliminary figures of the latest incident are confirmed, the deadliest shootings of the year had occurred in May in Monterey Park, California (16 killed) and Allen (Texas), with eight. With 22 dead, the Maine shooting would be the eighth deadliest in the infamous history of mass shootings in the United States. By the number of wounded, it would be second only to the Las Vegas massacre in 2018, in which 58 people were killed and 546 wounded.
Lewiston authorities also released an image of a white SUV, apparently owned by the suspect, then still on the run. It was found in nearby Lisbon. The man was wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt and the semi-automatic rifle he was carrying was military style, a weapon also tragically familiar in today’s United States.
After 11:30 p.m., a troubled Mike Sauschuck of the Department of Public Safety held a press conference, in which he gave some details about the suspect. He said that the terror had been unleashed at around 18:00. He then opened the floor for questions, just two, apologizing in advance because he’d surely lack answers to so many doubts. He did not even want to confirm the number of dead and he defined the situation as very changeable.
At midnight, the suspect was still on the run, and authorities feared he was attempting to flee to Canada. The nearest point of the border is just over two hours’ drive from Lewiston, a rural and sparsely populated area.

Until Wednesday, if the preliminary figures of the latest incident are confirmed, the deadliest shootings of the year had occurred in May in Monterey Park, California (16 killed) and Allen (Texas), with eight. With 22 dead, the Maine shooting would be the eighth deadliest in the infamous history of mass shootings in the United States. By the number of wounded, it would be second only to the Las Vegas massacre in 2018, in which 58 people were killed and 546 wounded.
Lewiston authorities also released an image of a white SUV, apparently owned by the suspect, then still on the run. It was found in nearby Lisbon. The man was wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt and the semi-automatic rifle he was carrying was military style, a weapon also tragically familiar in today’s United States.
After 11:30 p.m., a troubled Mike Sauschuck of the Department of Public Safety held a press conference, in which he gave some details about the suspect. He said that the terror had been unleashed at around 18:00. He then opened the floor for questions, just two, apologizing in advance because he’d surely lack answers to so many doubts. He did not even want to confirm the number of dead and he defined the situation as very changeable.
At midnight, the suspect was still on the run, and authorities feared he was attempting to flee to Canada. The nearest point of the border is just over two hours’ drive from Lewiston, a rural and sparsely populated area.