Manhunt for Maine shooting suspect Robert Card prompts underwater searches

Update: Suspect Robert Card was found dead Friday night, officials said. Read the latest here. Our earlier coverage is below.

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As the manhunt for Lewiston, Maine, shooting suspect Robert Card continues, officials said Friday that they are putting "divers in the water" near a location where Card's vehicle was found abandoned. Eighteen people were killed and 13 injured in the mass shooting Wednesday night.

Mike Sauschuck, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, said in a Friday news conference that the divers would be "checking for evidence" and possibly "potential bodies."  

"There will be a lot of activity in the water today," Sauschuck said. "...The river is a big piece of this." 

Card's car, a white Subaru Outback, was found near a boat launch on the Androscoggin River. U.S. Coast Guard crews out of Boothbay Harbor have been searching waterways for a 15-foot lake boat owned by the suspect. According to a law enforcement bulletin reviewed by CBS News, Card has a 2019 Sea Doo green boat registered in his name. It's not clear whether that's the same vessel as the lake boat. 

The Androscoggin River connects to the Kennebec River. Both rivers are more than 170 miles long and empty into the Gulf of Maine. Some of the gulf's shoreline is in Canada. 

Sauschuck said that there would be air flyovers to help determine where divers should enter the river. Where they go into the water will depend on currents, visibility and other factors, Sauschuck said. Sonar technology will also be used in the search. Sauschuck also said that the Brookfield Power Company, which operates two dams on the river, will try to lower the current to make it easier for divers to navigate the waterway. 

The Maine State Police dive team will lead the charge, and officers from the agency will work the shore line along the river. 

On Thursday, the U.S. Coast Guard said it was deploying multiple resources to search for Card. 

Card remains missing after carrying out a mass shooting on Wednesday at two locations in Lewiston, Maine. Eighteen people were killed, and 13 others were injured. Card has been missing ever since. 

–Cara Tabachnick contributed reporting. 

In:
• Shooting
• Mass Shootings
• Mass Shooting
• Maine

Kerry Breen

Kerry Breen is a news editor and reporter for CBS News. Her reporting focuses on current events, breaking news and substance use.