US: At least 22 killed, dozens injured after multiple shootings in Lewiston, Maine

At least 22 people were killed and about 50 to 60 were injured on Wednesday (local time) in mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, in the United States, NBC News reported, citing a Lewiston police source.

State and local police previously reported there had been an active shooter on Wednesday night.

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 released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed a gunman walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to his shoulder. "We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate," it said.

The Sun Journal, citing a Lewiston police spokesperson, reported shootings at three separate businesses: the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley, Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, and a Walmart distribution center.

The bowling alley is about four miles (6.5 km) north of the bar, and the distribution center is about a mile and a half (2.5 km) south of the bar.

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, news agency Reuters reported.

Lewiston, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Portland, emerged as a major center for African immigration into Maine. The Somali population, which numbers in the thousands, has changed the demographics of the once overwhelmingly white mill city into one of the most diverse in northern New England.

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