UPDATE OCT. 30, 2023: Robert Card, the sole suspect in the fatal shooting of 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Friday, Oct. 27. The original story published on Oct. 26 appears below.
Eighteen people were killed and another 13 injured in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25 after a gunman opened fire at multiple locations across the area.
Police identified 40-year-old Robert Card as a suspect in the shooting.
On Oct. 26, various news reports said the manhunt for Card was still underway, but one video that has gone viral online is being shared with claims it shows Card being arrested.
The video shows several officers shouting “don’t move” as police surround a person laying on the ground.
“JUST IN - Lewiston Maine Shooter Robert Caught by police,” one post on X says.
THE QUESTION
Does this viral video show the Lewiston shooting suspect being arrested?
THE SOURCES
- Maine State Police
- City of Lewiston, Maine
- Facebook video posted by a Lewiston resident on Oct. 25
- Google Maps
THE ANSWER
No, the video doesn't show the Lewiston shooting suspect being arrested. The suspect was still at large when the video was first shared.
WHAT WE FOUND
As of 7 p.m. ET on Oct. 26, Maine State Police said they, along with officers from state and national agencies, were still searching for Card. So, the viral video cannot show him being arrested. On Oct. 26, a shelter in place order was still in effect in Lewiston because Card hasn’t been apprehended.
VERIFY can confirm the video was taken in Lewiston and appears to show part of the ongoing manhunt by law enforcement. A banner for the Lewiston Public Library can be seen in the background and VERIFY confirmed the location using Google Maps. The video was taken near 25 Pine Street.
Another video posted to Facebook on Oct. 25 appears to show the same incident in Lewiston but from a different angle. Police in that video can be heard saying, "There are six floors here he could be on,” implying a search was underway.
VERIFY combed through social media to try to find one of the earliest instances the video was shared with the false claims that it shows Card’s arrest. We found this one posted to X at 9:33 p.m. ET.
The first reports of a shooting in Lewiston was made at 6:56 p.m. on Oct. 25, according to a timeline of events released by Maine State Police. At 11:57 p.m. on Oct. 25, Maine State Police posted an image of Card on Facebook and issued a shelter in place order because Card had not been apprehended.
So, while the video appears to show police activity in Lewiston on Wednesday night, it does not show the suspect's arrest.
VERIFY reached out to the Lewiston Police Department and the Maine State Police to find out what was actually happening on Pine Street on Oct. 25 but did not hear back at the time of publication.
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