THE search for the suspected Maine mass shooter bears a chilling resemblance to the infamous case of the Atlanta Olympics bomber, an ex-FBI agent who worked the case has said.
Former attorney and agent Bobby Chacon analyzed the search for at-large suspect Robert Card, 40, who's accused of killing 18 people at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston on Wednesday.
The intensive manhunt for Card, 40, is spreading as he continues to evade search parties over 36 hours after the most fatal U.S. mass shooting of 2023.
A U.S. Army Reservist and certified weapons instructor, Card is considered armed and dangerous, and lockdowns have been imposed throughout southwest Maine.
On Thursday, his abandoned car was discovered near a dock on the Kennebec River where he had a boat registered, but there was no sign of him or his boat.
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This led divers to begin searching the waters after an invasion of Card's brother's home left officials empty-handed, Maine public safety commissioner Michael Sauschuck said Friday morning.
Meanwhile, victims are beginning to be named as the small town of just 37,000 people wrestles with Wednesday evening's events.
Bob Violette, was a 73-year-old bowling instructor who died valiantly defending children from the gunman after he stormed Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, his heartbroken family announced.
And bar manager Joseph (Joey) Walker grabbed a chef's knife and sprinted at the shooter when he entered Schemengees Bar and Grille minutes later, but was tragically gunned down, the victim's father said.
Armed with an AR-15-style rifle fitted with a scope and multiple magazines, it took the shooter just a few minutes to kill and maim dozens of locals, including women and children.
With years of experience working high-profile manhunts under his belt, former FBI agent Chacon said the case reminded him of the search for the Atlanta Olympics bomber, Eric Rudolph.
On July 27, 1996, the first of a series of domestic terrorist pipe bombings took place at the center of the United States-hosted Summer Olympics.
The massive blast claimed the lives of one bystander, whose skull was penetrated by a nail, and another cameraman who later died of a heart attack, and injured 111 others.
Officials had no clue who crafted the sick plot, and he remained under the radar after a security guard named Richard Jewell was named as the main suspect.
The fugitive evaded capture for nearly seven years by maintaining anonymity for two and successfully living in the Appalachian wilderness for five more after he was named.
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On May 5, 1998, he was placed by the FBI on the Ten Most Wanted list.
Chacon was on the team working to find him when he was finally arrested by a rookie police officer in Murphy, North Carolina, on May 31, 2003.
Now, the case has a haunting resemblance to the mad search for Card, he said in an exclusive conversation with The U.S. Sun.
Rudolph planned to live in "heavily forested" areas before the bombings and had "stored food and other living items he needed to survive," Chacon said.
The former agent and attorney fears that Card may have plotted out the sick crime, and has the skills to live in the Maine wilderness for the foreseeable future.
"People that live in more rural areas basically tend to be a little more outdoorsy people," he said.
"They know how to navigate and how to survive, and so maybe he did have a backpack in that car that has food to last him a couple of days."
Chacon warned that the "area of danger is growing" as sightings associated with the suspect have been reported as far away as Massachusetts.
"They weren't able to establish a perimeter. That's nobody's fault, it's just the way the events here unfolded.
"He could be moving to another area."
DIFFICULT SEARCH
Across the river where Card held his boat is a dense forest that could provide the perfect cover to hide from cops, Chacon said.
He continued: "That's even more problematic because once he's in that wooded area, those very forested areas are much harder to search."
"You have to get teams on the ground... it's very manpower intensive. You pretty much have to be shoulder to shoulder with people."
Considering his access and abilities with firearms, Card said that search parties should exercise an abundance of caution when entering areas with limited visibility.
"This guy is a firearms instructor, probably a sharpshooter, probably a very good shot from a long distance," Chacon, now a screenwriter with Criminal Minds, said.
"When you start to corner him and close in, you start wondering what other kind of weapons systems he has."
Chacon also noted that many so-called sunbirds will live in northeast cabins for the summer, but close them up when the weather starts to turn cold.
He warned Maine homeowners that Card could be hiding in their abandoned house while subsisting on nonperishable food that he set aside for after his alleged crimes.
FIND HIM
On Thursday evening, cops surrounded a home in Bowdoin believed to be owned by Card's brother and sister-in-law.
Someone repeatedly yelled: “FBI! Open the door!” and multiple loud booms were heard.
But as of Friday morning, officials said the search for Card was ongoing.
They added that a cell phone and note had been recovered from his residence, but did not give any details as to what it said.
Card's family has been cooperative with police and has revealed the dark struggles the suspect faced this year.
This summer, Card had a stint in a mental health facility after he reported hearing voices in his head, Maine law enforcement officials said.
For Chacon, this brief hospital stay could be key to tracking Card down and ending the madness.
He said: "I would talk to somebody who was on his evaluation team to tell us if he indicated anything like this.
"He might have talked about running away and getting away somewhere, clearing his head."
Card is facing an arrest warrant for eight counts of murder.
Officials have warned residents in and around Lewiston to continue sheltering in place and to be prepared for ongoing high-profile searches.
On Thursday morning, Maine governor Janet Mills described the events as a "dark day" for her home state and added that she was in contact with President Joe Biden.
"This city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security," she said.
"No city does - no state, no people."
