Maine shooting: Robert Card’s gun history emerges – latest updates

Ronald “Ron” Morin, 55, died during the Maine mass shooting.

Morin’s family paid tribute to him in a Facebook post, writing: “Rest in Paradise, Ronnie. “This smile and your energy will forever be loved and missed.”

Morin’s relative Cecile Francoeur Martin told the Bangor Daily News that he was an “upbeat guy”.

“He was just always smiling, happy,” she said.

“Just one of those people that if you are having a bad day, he was going to make your day better just by his presence.”

Rosa Storer, a stylist at Taboo Hair Design in Lewiston where he had his hair cut for 25 years, called him “an upstanding man with a lot of joy in his heart”.

“He had the best jokes,” she added.

Bill Brackett was also attending the community event for deaf people at Schemengees Bar & Grill on Wednesday night.

His father, William Brackett, told ABC News that the group was playing cornhole when the gunman targeted the second location.

Brackett’s friend Nick Perry paid tribute to him on Facebook, writing: “I’ll never forget the laughs I had you in when I was trying to learn some sign language at cornhole.”

Two friends Michael Deslauriers and Jason Walker died saving their family members from the gunfire and then charging at the shooter, it has been revealed.

Deslauriers’ father, Michael Deslauriers Sr, said that his son and Walker were at the bowling alley on Wednesday night when the shooting began.

“My son Michael Deslauriers II and his dearest friend Jason Walker were murdered last night at the bowling alley. They made sure their wives and several young children were undercover then they charged the shooter.”

Maine Governor Janet Mills said that she “breathed a sigh of relief” once police found the gunman, Robert Card, deceased on Friday.

During a press conference on Monday afternoon, Ms Mills said that the discovery of the shooter meant that residents of Lewiston and other parts of Maine were safe from the man who is thought to have carried out the mass shooting that left 18 people dead.

Ms Mills also ordered all flags in Maine to remain lowered until 17 November and announced mental health resources would be available for the public to utilise.

Joshua Seal, 36, was a well-known American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter. Seal worked for the Pine Tree Society and was hosting a community event for members of the deaf community in Schemengees Bar in Lewiston when the shooting unfolded.

His wife, Elizabeth, confirmed his death in a post on Facebook.

“For those of you who knew him, first and foremost, he was the world’s BEST father to our four pups. He was always there for them, lending an eye or a hand and going to their sporting/extracurricular activities.

“He always loved spending time with them, traveling, going for a day trip to the beach, or going camping for the weekend. Not only was he an amazing father, he was a wonderful husband, my best friend, and my soulmate.

“He was also a wonderful boss, an incredible interpreter, a great friend, a loving son, brother, uncle, and grandson. He loved his family and always put them first. That is what he will always be remembered for. We love and miss you so so much already, Joshua Alfred Seal. Forever & Always, No Matter What…”

Bob Violette, a 76-year-old retired Sears mechanic and avid bowler, was identified by his daughter-in-law Cassandra as one of the victims, she told the Portland Press Herald.

Mr Violette, who was a native of Lewiston and ran a youth bowling league, was reportedly killed trying to protect the kids he was responsible for on Wednesday night.

Both he and his wife Lucy were keen bowlers, having started the youth bowling league at Sparetime Recreation, for which Mr Violette was recently inducted into the Maine Bowling Hall of Fame.

“He wouldn’t let you walk out the door without giving him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. He was just there for everything,” Cassandra said.

She said he had a special bond with his grandkids and was a doting husband to his wife Lucy, who was injured in the shooting. However, her condition is unknown.

“His first thought every day was her,” Cassandra added.

Lucy Violette was later confirmed to have also died following the shooting, during Friday’s press conference.

A man who survived the horror mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, has revealed how he hid down a bowling alley lane in a desperate bid to escape the gunman.

Brandon told The Associated Press that he was at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley on Wednesday night when gunfire suddenly erupted in the family-friendly establishment.

“We were inside, just a normal night of bowling. Out of nowhere he just came in and there was a loud pop,” he said.

At first, Brandon said he mistook the noise for balloons popping before he turned and saw the gunman brandishing a rifle inside the bowling alley.

Fearing for his safety, he said he ran down the lane and slid into the machinery.

“I thought it was a balloon, I had my back turned to the door,” he said.

“And as soon as I turned and saw it was not a balloon, he was holding a weapon, I just booked it down the lane and I slid basically in where the pins are and climbed on the machine.”

Brandon said he heard around 10 gunshots ring out and that the shooter came within around 15 feet of him.

“He was close, very close,” he said.

The families of the victims of last week’s mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine are divided over the death of suspect Robert Card, with some saying it was the “ideal outcome”, but others still desperate for answers over the tragedy.

A major police manhunt ended on Friday evening more than 48 hours after the gunman attacked two sites in the city of Lewiston, killing 18 people and wounding 13 more. The gunman was found dead in a woodland area near where the shootings took place.

He is believed to have died by suicide

Speaking to CNN, Elizabeth Seal, wife of ASL interpreter Joshua Seal, who was killed in the shootings, said that it was “important” that Card had been found.

“I wanted him to be apprehended. I wanted to ask questions that will not be answered. Why did you do this? What was the motive? Why would you hurt so many families?” she said.

On Card’s death, she added “It’s important that he was found and he’s gone.”

Among those also killed in the shootings were Bill Young and his 14-year-old son Aaron Young, who were caught up in the violence at the Just-In-Time bowling alley. Young’s brother Rob Young told CNN that Card’s death was the “ideal outcome”.

Thomas “Tommy” Conrad, 34, worked as a manager at the bowling alley where the first shooting took place.

His father, Timothy Conrad, confirmed that he was killed in the attack to ABC News. Mr Conrad leaves behind a nine-year-old daughter.

When confronted about the Maine gunman’s history with law enforcement and mental health problems, Maine Governor Janet Mills gave a vague answer before swiftly moving on from the question.

During a press conference on Monday, reporters asked Ms Mills about details regarding reports that law enforcement officials were aware that Robert Card had made threats against a military facility and had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital for auditory hallucinations.

Law enforcement agencies were supposedly made aware of the gunman in September when an alert was sent to all agencies about him.

However, the gunman was still able to obtain a firearm and eventually committed a mass murder in Lewiston.

But when confronted by the topic, Ms Mills told a reporter: “You’re reporting on reports.”

She assured people they would be conducting a thorough investigation of the matter.

“Those questions are important I can assure you they can be answered in due course, as police conduct all appropriate interviews and determine the facts of the case,” Ms Mills said.