By Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) -At least 22 people were killed and 50 to 60 wounded on Wednesday in mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, NBC News reported, citing a Lewiston police source.
Maine State Police and a county sheriff previously reported there had been an active shooter on Wednesday night but did not provide details.
“There is an active shooter in Lewiston,” Maine state police said on the social media platform X. “We ask people to shelter in place. Please stay inside your home with the doors locked. Law enforcement is currently investigating at multiple locations.”
The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office posted two photographs of a suspect on Facebook, saying he was at large.
The county sheriff asked for the public’s help in identifying the pictured suspect, a bearded man in a long-sleeved shirt and jeans holding a rifle in the firing position.
The Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston issued a statement saying it was “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and coordinating with area hospitals to take patients.
Lewiston is part of Androscoggin County and about 35 miles (56 km) north of Maine’s largest city, Portland.
The Sun Journal, citing a Lewiston police spokesperson, reported shootings at three separate businesses: Sparetime Recreation, Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, and a Walmart distribution center.
President Joe Biden has been briefed and will continue to receive updates, a U.S. official said in Washington.
Maine Governor Janet Mills said in a statement she had been briefed on the situation.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta; Additional reporting by Julia Harte, Steve Gorman and Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Sandra Maler, Ross Colvin and Lincoln Feast)