LEWISTON, ME — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Maine on Friday to mourn with the community following the shootings last week that killed 18 people.
Biden is expected to pay his respects after a gunman killed 18 people and injured over a dozen others in shootings at a bar and a bowling alley on Oct. 25, the White House said, according to the New York Times.
The alleged gunman, Robert Card, 40, was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound after a manhunt that lasted days, The Associated Press reported. The manhunt for Card closed schools and prompted residents to shelter in place.
President Biden learned about the shootings while hosting a White House state dinner that honored the bonds between the United States and Australia, the AP reported. He stepped out of the event at some point and contacted Maine’s representatives in Congress, as well as Maine Gov. Janet Mills.
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“Once again, an American community and American families have been devastated by gun violence,” Biden said Friday night after Card was found dead, according to the Times. “In all, at least 18 souls brutally slain, more injured, some critically, and scores of family and friends praying and experiencing trauma no one ever wants to imagine.”
In a statement, Maine Gov. Janet Mills said, “I deeply appreciate President Biden’s unwavering support of us in the wake of last week’s horrific tragedy. By visiting us in our time of need, the President and First Lady are making clear that the entire nation stands with Lewiston and with Maine — and for that I am profoundly grateful.”
In addition to meeting with families and other community members, the president is expected to meet with emergency medical workers, nurses and other officials, the White House said, according to the Times.
A motive for the shooting has not been established by investigators, but they are focused on Card’s mental health, according to the AP.