People depart a reunification center early Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston. A law enforcement officer carries a rifle outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. A sign signals the public to shelter in place during an active shooter situation on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. People depart a reunification center early Thursday, Oct.
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed the shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder.Lewiston Police said they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles away. A number of parents and children were at Sparetime as part of a children’s bowling league.
The bowling alley is about 2 miles north of the Bates College campus, on the outskirts of downtown, and offers traditional tenpin bowling and candlepin, a variant found in New England.Lewiston is the second-largest city in Maine with a population of 37,000. It emerged as a major center for African immigration into Maine.
Maine has a longstanding culture of gun ownership tied to traditions of hunting and sport shooting. The state doesn’t require permits to carry guns.A shelter-in-place advisory was issued Wednesday for Androscoggin County, including the community of Lisbon, about 8 miles away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said. It was extended Thursday to Bowdoin, which is in Sagadahoc County.
Schools in multiple communities were closed out of caution Thursday, including in Kennebunk, an hour away from Lewiston. Classes also were canceled at Bates and Bowdoin colleges, and the Gorham and Portland campuses of the University of Southern Maine.