A police officer walks along a rural road during a manhunt for the suspect of Wednesday's mass shootings, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lisbon, Maine. The shootings took place at a restaurant and bowling alley in nearby Lewiston, Maine. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Robert F. Bukaty
The Canada Border Services Agency has issued an “armed and dangerous” alert to its officers stationed along the Canada-U.S. border, warning them to be on the lookout for the man suspected of fatally shooting at least 18 people in southern Maine.
The shootings were reported Wednesday night in Lewiston, about 260 kilometres southwest of the New Brunswick border.
A police bulletin identified the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card, a firearms instructor believed to be in the U.S. Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine.
As a massive search continued Thursday for Card, residents of southern Maine were told to lock their doors and remain inside.
The CBSA said it is working with Canadian and U.S. law enforcement partners, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection and RCMP to “protect Canada’s borders against any threat or attempt at illegal entry.”
The Canadian border agency said its “Armed and Dangerous – Firearms lookout” alert was sent to all its officers through an internal system, and the agency added that all entry points along the Canada-U.S. border remain open.
In Calais, Maine, which shares three border entry points in and near St. Stephen in southwestern New Brunswick, U.S. officers have set up checkpoints on the American side to screen vehicles before they enter Canada, said Allan MacEachern, the mayor of St. Stephen.
Normally, vehicles headed into New Brunswick aren’t checked until they reach the CBSA entry point on the Canadian side.
“We also have officers set up on the Canadian side,” MacEachern said in an interview. “We also alerted the community through our alert app system …. I’ve witnessed that setup before for other things.”
Meanwhile, the New Brunswick RCMP issued a brief statement saying the police force was monitoring the situation in collaboration with Canadian and U.S. partners.
“Our thoughts are with the citizens of Maine, and everyone affected by this event,” RCMP Cpl. Hans Ouellette said in the statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2023.
