Maine shooting: Man reveals how he hid from gunman at bowling alley by climbing into machine

A man has described the moment he ran down the lane of a bowling alley and “climbed up into the machine” to hide after a gunman entered the building and opened fire.

The witness, who only gave his first name as Brandon, has spoken about the ordeal as police in the US state of Maine continue to hunt a man suspected of shooting dead between 15 and 20 people in the city of Lewiston.

Robert Card, 40, is a trained firearms instructor who is believed to be in the US Army Reserves, according to a bulletin put out by the Maine Information and Analysis Center, a database for law enforcement officials.

It adds that law enforcement said Card “recently reported mental health issues to include hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, Maine”.

Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reports that Card has 20 years military experience.

Follow live: Hunt for ‘dangerous’ man with military experience

Brandon said at one stage the gunman was around 15 feet behind him at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley, adding: “He was close, very close.”

He continued: “I’m night bowling and out of nowhere he came in and there was a loud pop. I thought it was a balloon, I had my back turned to the door.

“As soon as I turned and saw that it was not a balloon, that he was holding a weapon, I just bucked it down the lane where I slid basically into where the pins are and climbed up into the machine.

“I was on top of the machine for about 10 minutes until the cops got there.”

Brandon added there was a “lot of ruckus” when he got to the top of the bowling machine.

“I was putting on my bowling shoes when it started. I’ve been barefoot for five hours,” he added.

Read more:
What we know about suspect so far

A worried mother told NBC News she had “heard nothing” from her son who was playing pool at Schemengees bar, the second location where shootings took place, with her ex-husband last night.

The mother said: “I saw on Facebook that there was a shooting at Schemengees where they were playing, and then nobody would tell us anything… we’re all waiting and we’ve heard nothing.”

‘We locked down’

Meanwhile, a man who works at a foundry near Schemengees bar said one of his friend’s 21-year-old son was shot.

Jeremy James was speaking from outside a hospital in Lewiston when he said he heard the man was shot one time and “he’s doing OK”.

Mr James also said that he locked his facility down during the shooting at the restaurant.

‘I just feel numb’

Melinda Small, the owner of the Legends Sports Bar and Grill, less than a quarter of a mile away from the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley, said police rushed in and evacuated everyone from the building after reports of the shootings emerged.

She said the incident left her in a “state of shock”.

“I am blessed that my team responded quickly and everyone is safe,” she added.

“But the same time, my heart is broken for this area and for what everyone is dealing with. I just feel numb.”

‘Fear and panic’ as people look for loved ones

The mayor of Auburn, Lewiston’s neighbouring city, said witnesses to the shootings were interviewed and taken to a reunification centre.

Jason J Levesque said the witnesses were of all ages, including teenagers.

“We wanted to make sure that evidence could be gathered and the proper protocol could be followed,” he said.

Mr Levesque added that many witnesses were in shock and there was “fear and panic” among people looking for loved ones.

He said: “We’ve got a really strong community. We’ve overcome a lot and we’ll overcome this.”

Vehicle located in hunt for suspect

All town offices will be closed today in Lisbon, a town of around 9,700 people near to Lewiston, where a vehicle that was being sought in the investigation has been found.

“Please prioritise safety and continue to shelter in place”, the town said on its website.