Lewiston shootings: A timeline of the events of the mass shootings in Maine

As a manhunt continued early Thursday morning for a suspect in the fatal shootings at a Lewiston, Maine, bar and bowling alley, law enforcement officials have released some details about how the shootings unfolded.

Here’s a look at what happened:

6.56 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 25: The first of the two shootings began. Families out for a night of bowling and children at a birthday party at Sparetime Recreation, hear gunshots as the rampage started.

7 p.m.-7:16 p.m.: Police respond to the bowling alley to find people injured, dying and dead as they receive calls about a second shooting at Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant – four miles from the bowling alley.

8 p.m.: About one hour after the attacks, the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office releases photos of a person of interest that show a man with a weapon going into the bowling alley. The sheriff’s office says it’s investigating two active shooter incidents and they ask local businesses to “lock down and or close while we investigate.”

8:09 p.m.: Nine minutes later, Maine State Police warn area residents that there’s “an active shooter in Lewiston” and tell people to stay inside with their doors locked. They add that “Law enforcement is currently investigating at multiple locations.”

8:26 p.m.: The city of Auburn, a town near Lewiston, urges residents to shelter in place.

8:30 p.m.: Maine Gov. Janet Mills issues a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter: “I am aware of and have been briefed on the active shooter situation in Lewiston. I urge all people in the area to follow the direction of State and local enforcement. I will to continue to monitor the situation and remain in close contact with public safety officials.”

8:53 p.m.: Lewiston police announce that the shootings took place at Schemengees and Sparetime Recreation.

9:17 p.m.: On its Facebook page, Lewiston police release a photo of a white car they say they believe was used by the shooter. They ask members of the public to contact them if they see it.

10:18 p.m.: Lewiston City Councilor Robert McCarthy says the death toll sits at 22. Later, authorities say they cannot confirm that number and by Thursday morning, officials say the death toll is 16.

10:52 p.m.: Thirty-four minutes after the photo of the car is released, police post another photo on social media and names Robert Card as a “person of interest” in the shootings.

11:30 p.m.: Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck says in a news conference that the white car authorities were looking for was found in Lisbon, Maine, a neighboring town. The person of interest remains at large, police say.

11:34 p.m.: Lisbon officials say all town offices will be closed on Thursday and tell people to keep sheltering in place.

Around 6 a.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 26: Maine’s State Police said it was expanding its shelter-in-place advisory for Lewiston to include the nearby town of Bowdoin, the town where Robert Card lives. Classes at Bates College in Lewiston, at all Lewiston Public Schools and in neighboring school districts were canceled on Thursday as law enforcement officials continue to search for Card.

7 a.m.: Auburn, Maine, Mayor Jason J. Levesque asks the citizens of the town to stay indoors.

“We’re telling all of our residents just to shelter in place. We canceled all the schools in the area, so there will be no school today. Stay home, keep your doors locked. Have good situational awareness. Stay vigilant, report anything that seems out of the ordinary at this point,” Levesque said.

Levesque tells the “Today Show” that some residents of his town at first mistakenly thought the incident was a Halloween joke.

“My mind goes to just a massive scene of chaos, disbelief, actually. That was a common thing I did hear, that they thought it was some sort of Halloween joke or something, the initial pops, until everything started escalating quite rapidly, and that’s where everything kind of got blurry for lot of folks.

10:30 a.m.: Maine authorities hold a press conference to provide an update on the mass shootings. For the latest developments visit our live updates story.

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Lewiston shootings LEWISTON, MAINE - OCTOBER 26: A police officer blocks access to the road to Sparetime Recreation on October 26, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Police are still searching for the suspect in the mass shooting, Robert Card, who killed over 15 people in two separate shootings. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images) (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)