Authorities comb southern Maine for gunman who killed 18

A search for the assailant suspected of killing 18 people and injuring 13 others in Maine continued early Friday over a vast and largely rural region as thousands of residents continued to shelter in place.

On Thursday, a day after an assailant opened fire on civilians in the city of Lewiston, helicopters swept miles of countryside as the Coast Guard patrolled the Kennebec River. Thousands of people were forced into an extended lockdown as police officers from local, state and federal agencies combed the area.

On Thursday night, law enforcement agents executed search warrants at several properties in Bowdoin, about 30 minutes from the crime scenes, that belong to the family of Robert R. Card, 40, who the police suspect is the assailant. A spokesperson for the state police said they now believed that Card was not on the property.

As authorities pursued the suspect, details emerged of how the shootings unfolded Wednesday in a crowded bowling alley and at a bar, where a night of socializing turned into one of panic. Bowlers ran down lanes to hide in pin machines. Family members suffered through excruciating waits to learn their loved ones' fate.

"This is a dark day for Maine," Gov. Janet Mills said at a news conference.

Here are the latest developments:

-- An arrest warrant for eight counts of murder was issued for Card, according to the authorities, who posted a photo of the suspect wearing a brown hooded sweatshirt and carrying a military-style semi-automatic rifle. Pentagon records suggest that he has spent more than two decades in the Army Reserve.

-- The shootings in Lewiston, a city of about 40,000, took place at the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, previously known as Sparetime Recreation, and at Schemengees Bar & Grille about 4 miles away, the police said. Seven people died at the bowling alley, eight at the bar and three at the hospital, Col. William G. Ross of the Maine State Police said.

-- Dr. John Alexander of the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston said the hospital had received 14 victims over a 45-minute period Wednesday night. Of those, three died, three were discharged and eight remained hospitalized -- three in critical condition and five in stable condition.

-- Ross said the first 911 call about the shooting came in at 6:56 p.m. Wednesday, with someone reporting gunfire at the bowling alley. Twelve minutes later, several 911 calls were made reporting a shooter inside the bar.

-- The U.S. Army's public affairs office at the Pentagon said a man named Robert Russell Card II, whose date of birth matches that of the man being sought in connection with the shootings, was a sergeant first class in the Army Reserve.

-- The Coast Guard sent a 29-foot response boat to search the Kennebec River for Card, according to Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Koroknay. A vehicle connected to Card was found at a boat ramp in Lisbon, Maine, police said. Koroknay declined to comment on whether officials thought Card had escaped from the Lewiston area by water.