LEWISTON: A man opened fire at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, killing several people and wounding dozens of others.

The incidents have plunged the city into chaos as hundreds of police searched for a person of interest and residents were ordered to shelter in place.

Lewiston is the second most populous city in Maine located some 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of the largest city, Portland.

However, City Councilor Robert McCarthy told CNN that the death toll had risen to 22 in the shooting spree. "My understanding is that they have a tentative identification... of the shooter at the bowling alley, confirmed 22 dead, many, many more injured," McCarthy said.

CNN also reported that at least 50 to 60 people were injured in the incidents, citing multiple law enforcement sources, but said it was unclear how many of the injuries were the result of gunfire.

Two law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that at least 16 people were killed and the toll was expected to rise. However, Michael Sauschuck, commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, declined to provide a specific estimate at a news conference, calling it a “fluid situation.”

Wednesday's death toll was staggering for a state that in 2022 had 29 homicides the entire year.

The shooting is one of the deadliest since 2017, when a gunman opened fire on a crowded music festival in Las Vegas, killing some 60 people.

The United States has recorded over 500 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a non-governmental organization that defines a mass shooting as four or more people wounded or killed.

President Joe Biden made calls -- while a state dinner honouring Australia's prime minister was underway -- to Maine's governor, its two senators and a local congressman, and offered “full federal support in the wake of this horrific attack,” a White House statement said.

Lewiston has 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.

Maine Senator Angus King, an independent, said he was “deeply sad for the city of Lewiston and all those worried about their family, friends and neighbors”.

Maine Congressman Jared Golden wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter that "like all Mainers, I'm horrified by the events in Lewison tonight. This is my hometown."

A police intelligence bulletin identified Robert Card, who was trained as a firearms instructor at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Maine, as the person of interest.

The document, reviewed by The Associated Press and circulated to law enforcement officials, says Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide specific details about his treatment or condition.

The document also said Card had reported hearing voices and had threatened to carry out a shooting at the military training base in Saco, Maine. A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service.

Active shooter incident started around 7 pm

Lewiston Police said in an earlier Facebook post that they were dealing with an active shooter incident which started just before 7 pm at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) away.

The Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office released two photos of the suspect on its Facebook page that showed a shooter walking into an establishment with a weapon raised to their shoulder.

On its website, Central Maine Medical Center said staff were “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and were coordinating with area hospitals to take in patients.

Melinda Small, the owner of Legends Sports Bar and Grill, said her staff immediately locked their doors and moved all 25 customers and employees away from the doors after a customer reported hearing about the shooting at the bowling alley less than a quarter-mile away around 7 pm.

Soon, the police flooded the roadway and a police officer eventually escorted everyone out of the building four at a time. Everyone in the bar is safe.

Shelter-in-place order issued as gunman still at large

Central Maine Medical Center was locked down and police, some armed with rifles, stood by the entrances.

Meanwhile, hospitals as far away as Portland, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) to the south, were on alert to potentially receive victims.

A spokesperson for Maine Department of Public Safety urged residents to stay in their homes with their doors locked.

“We are encouraging all businesses to lock down and or close while we investigate,” the sheriff's office reported.

The shelter-in-place order was extended Wednesday night from Lewiston to Lisbon, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) away, after a “vehicle of interest” was found there, authorities said.

"Avoid the area until authorities give the all-clear,” the statement said.

Local schools will be closed on Thursday.

(With inputs from AFP)