Residents of Maine found themselves huddled in fear within the confines of their homes for a second consecutive night amid the frantic manhunt for Robert Card, an Army reservist accused of committing the most heinous mass shooting in the history of the state.

Armed to the teeth, hundreds of police officers and FBI agents embarked on a relentless quest to bring him to justice.

Thursday's efforts were largely concentrated on a rural property owned by one of Card's relatives in the serene enclave of Bowdoin.

The scene was nothing short of intense, as a convoy of trucks and vans, brimming with heavily armed agents from the FBI and various other agencies, surrounded the residence.

The law enforcement officers, through a blaring loudspeaker, issued stern demands to Card and anyone sheltered inside the premises.

"You need to come outside now with nothing in your hands. Your hands in the air," the police declared.

Such moments typically involve a swift and forceful entry into the suspect's domain, but this time, they exercised extraordinary caution.

Hours elapsed, announcements were made, yet the fate of Card and his presence on the property remained shrouded in uncertainty.

Richard Goddard, a resident living on the road where this dramatic search unfolded, is acquainted with the Card family. According to Goddard, Robert Card, four years his junior, knows the terrain like the back of his hand. "This is his stomping ground. He grew up here," Goddard remarked. "He knows every ledge to hide behind, every thicket."

Multiple homes came under the meticulous scrutiny of law enforcement, with each and every lead exhaustively pursued. The prevailing sentiment was one of extreme caution. Card, a 40-year-old Army reservist with firearms instructor training, was unequivocally marked as armed and perilous, a man not to be approached.

Card is suspected of unleashing a barrage of gunfire, wielding at least one rifle, at a bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston on the preceding Wednesday. Lewiston, situated approximately 15 miles from Bowdoin, ranks as Maine's second-largest city. The brutal onslaught claimed the lives of 18 innocent individuals, leaving 13 others grievously wounded, with three victims still battling for their lives in critical condition, as per authorities.

While the investigators are yet to disclose the exact number and source of the firearms utilized in the gruesome attack, the reverberations of this tragedy were felt far and wide.

Schools, doctor's offices, and grocery stores shuttered their doors, and residents across cities extending up to 50 miles from the crime scenes opted for the safety of locked doors and shuttered windows.

The largest city in Maine, Portland, took the extraordinary step of closing its public buildings, while the Canada Border Services Agency issued a chilling "armed and dangerous" alert to officers stationed along the U.S. border.

The streets of Lewiston and its environs were transformed into desolate landscapes on the night of Thursday.

Occasional police patrols and vehicles drove through neighborhoods adorned with Halloween decorations, casting eerie shadows on the otherwise quiet streets.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, schools in Lewiston remained closed on Friday, while institutions in Portland were contemplating their course of action.

Bates College in Lewiston decided to cancel classes for the day and postponed the inauguration of the school's first Black president.

April Stevens, a resident of the very neighborhood where one of the shooting incidents occurred, took no chances.

She illuminated her home with an array of lights and ensured all doors were securely locked. Her fears were not unfounded, as she personally knew someone killed at the bar and another individual who had been injured and was now in need of surgery. Tears welled up in her eyes as she expressed her deep concern. "We're praying for everyone," she whispered through the veil of her tears.

The shocking attacks had shattered the tranquility of a state with a population of just 1.3 million people and one of the lowest homicide rates in the country, recording merely 29 killings in the entire year of 2022. Maine Governor Janet Mills vowed to pursue Card relentlessly and ensure that justice prevails for the victims and their families.

As the hunt for Card continued, disturbing details about his recent behavior began to emerge. In mid-July, Card underwent a mental health evaluation, triggered by his erratic conduct while serving with his reserve regiment, as disclosed by a U.S. official. A bulletin sent to law enforcement agencies nationwide revealed that Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks during the summer. He had reported "hearing voices and threats to shoot up" a military base.

Maine, a state with a deeply rooted culture of gun ownership, doesn't require permits for carrying firearms. In 2019, lawmakers passed a "yellow flag" law, which called for a medical evaluation of individuals deemed dangerous before any attempts were made to confiscate their guns. Critics argue that this is a milder version compared to the more stringent "red flag" laws adopted by many other states.

Dave Letarte, a neighbor, reflected on his interactions with Card's family. They had kindly permitted deer hunting on their property. However, Letarte also noted that Card had exhibited signs of mental distress over time. "People have problems, but you don't expect them to go off the deep end like that," he lamented. "When we saw it on the news last night, I was shocked."

A listed telephone number for Card proved unresponsive, while a relative who answered a call did not provide further details, stating that the family was cooperating with the FBI.

In the wake of this brutal massacre, eight murder warrants were issued for Card, corresponding to the eight identified victims. It is anticipated that an additional 10 warrants will be issued once the remaining deceased individuals are officially identified, as announced by Maine State Police Col. William Ross.

As the state grapples with this unimaginable tragedy, three of the 13 wounded survivors are still in critical condition, while five others remain hospitalized in stable condition, according to Central Maine Medical Center officials.

The nightmare began at the Just-In-Time Recreation, where a children's bowling league was in full swing shortly before 7 p.m. on that fateful Wednesday. Patrick Poulin, who should have been there with his 15-year-old son, recounted the sheer magnitude of the event. Several dozen young bowlers, aged 4 to 18, and their parents had gathered at the center. Poulin's brother, present at the scene, managed to usher some of the children to safety when the first shots rang out. The ordeal left Poulin in a state of shock as he contemplated how close he came to being in the crossfire. "He's pretty shook up," Poulin admitted. "And it's just sinking in today, like, wow, I was very close to being there. And a lot of the people that got hurt, I know."

Less than 15 minutes after the chaos erupted at the bowling alley, multiple 911 calls flooded in from Schemengees Bar and Grille, located a few miles away.

The manhunt for Card extended across both land and water.

The Coast Guard deployed a patrol boat along the Kennebec River on Thursday morning, scouring the waters for any sign of the fugitive.

However, hours of searching yielded nothing unusual, according to Chief Petty Officer Ryan Smith, who headed the Coast Guard's Boothbay Harbor Station.

A vehicle believed to be owned by Card was discovered near a boat launch in the town