The town of Lewiston had been on lockdown as police and FBI agents hunted the man wanted for the deaths of 18 of its residents.
ADVERTISEMENTThe American army reservist who opened fire in a bowling alley and then at a bar in Lewiston, Maine, killing 18 people, was found dead on Friday from a self-inflicted gunshot, ending an intensive three-day search that had the state on edge.
Robert Card, a firearms instructor who grew up in the area, was found dead in nearby Lisbon Falls, Governor Janet Mills said at a Friday night news conference.
"Like many people I'm breathing a sigh of relief tonight knowing that Robert Card is no longer a threat to anyone," Mills said.
April Stevens, a Lewiston resident who knew one of the victims, said she was relieved to learn that the "monster and coward" who inflicted so much pain was no longer a danger.
"I'm relieved but not happy," she said. "There was too much death. Too many people were hurt. Relieved, yes, happy, no."
Maine Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck said Card was found at 7:45 pm near the Androscoggin River, about 13 kilometres southeast of where the second shooting occurred Wednesday evening.
"Tonight we're grateful that Lewiston and surrounding communities are safe after spending excruciating days hiding in their homes," Biden said in a statement. He added that "Americans should not have to live like this" and called on Congress to take action on gun violence.
The deadliest shootings in Maine history stunned a state of 1.3 million people that has relatively little violent crime and had only 29 killings in all of 2022.