In a shocking revelation, the state medical examiner's office in Maine announced on Friday that Robert Card, the Army reservist responsible for the deadly shooting at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, was likely alive and potentially on the run for more than 24 hours before his body was discovered. Card died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound that happened eight to 12 hours before his body was found on the property of his former employer at a recycling center.

The October 25th shootings rocked the local community, leaving 18 people dead and 13 others injured. As law enforcement agencies launched a massive search operation, tens of thousands of residents stayed behind locked doors, fearing for their safety. Card had fled the scene in a vehicle, which was later found abandoned on a waterfront in a nearby town.

The criticism faced by law enforcement agencies for not locating Card sooner has been partially addressed by the time of death analysis provided by the state's chief medical examiner, Dr. Mark Flomenbaum. The analysis suggests that Card, aged 40, may have been alive and potentially mobile for an extended period after the shootings, casting doubt on the initial assumption that he had taken his life and was overlooked during earlier search efforts.

However, the medical examiner's office also noted that Card suffered from a condition where his heart emptied of blood after the gunshot wound, affecting the settling of blood in his body and making the determination of the exact time of death less certain.

The latest update in the investigation coincided with a visit from President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden to Lewiston, where they paid their respects to the victims and met with them. President Biden, expressing his condolences, remarked on the unfortunate frequency with which he has had to console communities affected by such tragedies.

The shooting spree by Card was not entirely unexpected, as his deteriorating mental state had raised concerns among family members and fellow Army Reserve members for months. A prior encounter with Reserve members led to Card's hospitalization at a psychiatric facility in New York for two weeks. Upon his return to Maine, there were further worries about his behavior, leading one fellow reservist to urge authorities to change gate passcodes and be prepared with guns if Card visited the Army Reserve drill center in Saco.

Despite two visits from deputies to Card's house, and even a second visit with backup, they were unable to make contact with Card or take any legal action to address the concerns about his condition. The sheriff's office eventually canceled the alert seeking help in locating Card a week before the tragic shootings occurred.

The investigation into the Lewiston shootings is ongoing, as law enforcement agencies and the community seek answers and look for ways to prevent such incidents in the future. The deeply saddened community is grappling with the aftermath of this devastating tragedy, and the medical examiner's revelation adds another layer of complexity to an already heartbreaking situation.