A mysterious note has been discovered by investigators at the home of the Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card.
The manhunt for Card - who is suspected to have opened fire at a bar and a bowling alley on Wednesday (25 October) - is entering its second day.
The incident has turned state’s second-largest city, Lewiston, into chaos as police continue to search for the person of interest while residents have been ordered to shelter inside.
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The shooting has killed 18 people and injured 13 others.
A police bulletin is reported to have said that Card served in the US Army and had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023.
The doc, which was reviewed by Associated Press, did not specify details about his condition or treatment.
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The document, which the outlet says was circulated amongst law enforcement officials, also claimed that Card had reported hearing voices and had threatened to carry out a shooting at a military training base in Saco, Maine.
Reuters also could not verify the authenticity of the bulletin.
And while the hunt continues for the suspect, investigators discovered a note when authorities executed a search warrant at Card’s house in Bowdoin on Thursday (26 October), according to NBC News.
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The outlet went on to say that investigators are trying to determine whether the contents of the note provide any indication as to the motive behind Card's killing on Wednesday (25 October).
The contents on the note have not yet been revealed by officials.
In other efforts to find Card, the Coast Guard also launched surveillance planes and boats out of Boothbay to join the manhunt, with Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Third-Class Diolanda Caballero telling NBC that they had joined the likes of local, county, state and federal agents.
Authorities have since found Card's car near a boat launch in Lisbon - around eight miles away from where the shootings took place.
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A 15-foot boat believed to belong to the suspect has also been reported missing, Chief Petty Officer Ryan Smith told The Messenger.
Card has been described as a trained marksman and skilled outdoorsman, so finding him is proving somewhat of a challenge for local authorities.
Retired NYPD chief hostage negotiator, Robert J. Louden, suggested that the suspect could have fled into the woods, which would make the hunt for him like a 'spider's web'.
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Speaking to NBC, he said: "From that parking area where he dumped his scar there’s four distinct possibilities.
"He killed himself. He got on a boat and went down that little river that’s there. He went into another car or motorcycle or something that was waiting for him.
"Or there’s a hiking trail. He could be in the woods someplace.
"And so it’s like a spider’s web going out — and you’ve got to follow all those pieces of the web."
Callum Jones