Officials said that gunfire throughout the city has resulted in at least 22 fatalities and "many, many more" injuries, flooding the area's hospitals with gunshot patients.

City Councilor Robert McCarthy said on Thursday (Friday in Manila) that the number of people killed in the shooting spree that occurred at a local restaurant and bar, as well as a bowling alley, has risen to 22.

"My understanding is that they have a tentative identification of the shooter at the bowling alley, with 22 confirmed dead and many, many more injured," McCarthy said.

McCarthy said that rescue crews from all over central Maine raced to attend to the injured, and that the two hospitals in Lewiston "have called in every off-duty staff member that they could to deal with this."

According to the White House, President Joe Biden called the governor of Maine, two senators from the state, and a local congressman to offer federal support while a state dinner honoring Australia's prime minister was in progress.

A picture of the gunman with what looked to be a semi-automatic weapon inside the bowling alley was shared on Facebook by local police.

Subsequently, police released a bulletin identifying Robert Card as the mass shooting suspect, stating that he "should be considered armed and dangerous." Card is 40 years old. 

"Please contact law enforcement if you are aware of his whereabouts," the bulletin advised.

60 injured?

Additionally, authorities released a photo of a white SUV and requested assistance from the public in identifying it. They said the vehicle's front bumper might have been painted black.

Law enforcement "are investigating two active shooter events," the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Department wrote on Facebook. "We are encouraging all businesses to lock down or to close while we investigate. The suspect is still at large."

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

Police and rescuers reportedly arrived at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley at approximately 7:15 p.m. local time in response to an active shooter, and thereafter received reports of another shooting at the Schemengees Bar and Grille, according to the Sun Journal local newspaper.

At 8:15 p.m., another shooting was reported at a local Walmart distribution center, it said.

Deadliest since 2017

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.

Gun violence is alarmingly common in the United States, a country where there are more guns than people and where attempts to clamp down on their spread are always met with stiff resistance.

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.

Efforts to tighten gun controls have for years run up against opposition from Republicans, staunch defenders of the constitutional right to bear arms. The political paralysis endures despite widespread outrage over recurring shootings.

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