Police trawl river as search for Maine gunman drags on
Police in Maine planned to trawl the waters of the Androscoggin River with divers and sonar on Friday in their search for US army reservist Robert Card, who they suspect is the mass shooter who killed 18 people at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston this week. Officials ordered tens of thousands of area residents to shelter in place for their own safety and indicated that the manhunt could continue for at least several days more. Part of the search played out on live television on Thursday night when officials executed several search warrants in the neighbouring town of Bowdoin, where Card lives. Law enforcement officials assembled at Card's house, surrounded by woods and fields, for more than two hours, with an FBI agent issuing orders over a bullhorn to "come out with your hands up," but apparently nobody was inside. Mike Sauschuck, the Maine Department of Public Safety's commissioner, said at a press conference on Friday that a note was found during the search, but declined to say who wrote it or what it said. Lewiston, a former textile hub of 38,000 people, and neighbouring communities have been largely shut down since the Wednesday evening attacks to enable hundreds of officers to conduct their search.  Colleges and public schools in the area cancelled classes for a second day. (Reuters)