The shootings occurred at Schemengees Bar and Grille Café and Sparetime Entertainment, a bowling alley, the Lewiston Police Division said on Facebook, encouraging inhabitants to "remain off the streets to permit crisis responders admittance to the emergency clinics."
A dispatcher at the Androscoggin District Sheriff's Office said there were numerous casualties, adding that the specific number and their circumstances were at this point unclear.
One more post on the Lewiston Police Facebook page showed a man who was wearing an earthy colored coat, holding a rifle. Authorities said the individual was currently at large. Police likewise delivered a picture of a white SUV, inquiring as to whether they perceive the vehicle.
The Maine State Police said it was helping the Lewiston Police Division in its reaction to the shooting. " If it's not too much trouble, remain inside your home with the entryways locked," the state police said on X, previously known as Twitter.
The city of Lewiston said in a virtual entertainment post that the safe house set up request was associated with an episode on Goddard Street, Mollison Way and the 500 block of Lincoln Road in Lewiston. The assertion said individuals ought to "cease from moving toward new people."
The city of Reddish, Maine, additionally cautioned inhabitants of a functioning shooter, encouraging them to remain inside. " ALL Reddish-brown and Lewiston occupants are firmly asked to shield set up, lock all entryways and report dubious people and exercises to 9-1-1," the city said on X, noticing that all organizations in the space would be shut.
Allison Tzolo, a specialist at Antigoni's Pizza eatery in Lewiston, close to one of the shooting scenes, said that she and her colleagues were shielding set up at the café.
Tzolo said she didn't hear gunfire yet saw a multitude of police vehicles zoom past the café. " We were shutting similarly as the shooting was occurring," Tzolo said.
Gov. Janet Factories of Maine said on X that she had been "informed on the dynamic shooter circumstance" and encouraged inhabitants to keep the bearings of policing.
President Joe Biden was informed "on what's known such a long ways about the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, and will keep on getting refreshes," the White House said in a proclamation.
With around 38,000 individuals, Lewiston, around 35 miles north of Portland, is the state's second-greatest city. Prior Wednesday, Schemengees Cocktail lounge and restaurant publicized an "industry night" on its Facebook page, offering limits for those functioning in neighborliness.