The transcripts of 911 calls made during the Lewiston mass shooting, which were released Monday afternoon, highlight the shock, disbelief and confusion callers experienced as they tried to understand what was happening on Oct. 25.
The transcripts include 50 calls regarding the shootings at Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille in Lewiston. Another call made the same evening is from someone who identified the shooter, Robert Card, about 30 minutes after his image was released the night of the shooting.
Card fatally shot 18 people and injured 13 more during the shooting. He was found dead on Oct. 27.
The first call was received at 6:55 p.m., according to Cavanaugh.
In one of the first calls, the caller manages to say one audible word before the call ends. The dispatcher is asking for the address but all the person says is “Shooting.”
A caller says, “Yes, there’s a shooting — th-there’s a shooting at the bowling alley.”
“[Inaudible] never would’ve thought this would happen here in Lewiston, Maine,” a caller at the bowling alley said.
Another call at 6:55 p.m. reported there was a shooting at the bowling alley, with more than one person shot but that the shooter had left.
The dispatcher asked the caller where they were, and if they were out of the area.
“I’m, I’m still in the front helping, looking and helping,” she said.
“You’re helping?” the dispatcher said.
“I’ve got a bunch of kids in the back because it’s the kids practice bowling,” she said. “A bunch of them and some parents just went out back.”
“Okay. Do you know if any of them are deceased?,” the dispatcher said.
“I think so,” she replied.
Just after 6:56 p.m., a dispatcher answered a call, and asked where the emergency was happening.
“Shooter. There’s a shooter. There’s a shooter at Sparetime Recreation,” the caller said. “[Inaudible]. I have a kid. He’s bleeding. He’s been shot in the arm. He needs [inaudible].”
The sound of phones ringing is heard in the background of the dispatcher’s call, who again asks for the address. The caller says “Sparetime -” and the call ends.
Just-In-Time Recreation was previously known as Sparetime Recreation.
As news of the shooting spread, other people called 911 on behalf of family and friends, including one caller at 7:03 p.m., who said they were on their way to the bowling alley.
Dispatch told the person to stay back and not enter the scene until police cleared it.
“We are — all our officers are there. Literally every single off — Lewiston officer is there, okay?” the dispatcher said.
“Are there any fatalities?” the caller asked.
“We don’t know, sir. They are still looking for the shooter, okay?” the dispatcher responds.
The transcripts also revealed confusion and frustration among dispatchers as they learned of a second shooting location.
When asked the location of their emergency the caller said Schemengees. The dispatcher asked what the shooter was wearing and said they were getting flooded with calls.
“Hey, we have another — we have another active shooter at Schemengees,” the dispatcher said.
The dispatcher says the address and the caller responds, “Get to f—king Schemengees Bar and Grille now, there’s a shooter.”
In another call at almost the same time, a dispatcher asked a colleague, “There is another one going on at Schemengees now? Is this a second one?”
That call came from a person who said they were in the field behind the bar against a fence with a man who had been shot.
“Why won’t it let me transfer (the call)? It won’t let me transfer it at all. Jesus Christ,” the dispatcher added.
A caller used their watch to dial 911 at 7:07 p.m. while under a pool table inside Schemengees with someone who was injured.
“Where are they bleeding from?” a dispatcher asked.
“Uh, I can’t really tell. It’s dark in here,” the caller replied.
“OK. I need you to grab a dry clean cloth, if you can find one,” the dispatcher said. “If not, honestly any cloth will do at this point. I want you to wrap up wherever he is bleeding from, keep pressure on the wound.”
Another caller at Schemengees reached 911 as shots were still being fired at 7:08 p.m.
“Active shoot,” the caller said.
“Okay. Can you —,” the dispatcher asked.
“Active shooter, AR,” the caller said.
The caller said they were outside and couldn’t tell how many people were hurt but “would assume there’s 30 people dead.”
“He’s still — he’s still shooting,” the caller said. “People are hurt.”
The dispatcher asked the caller how many shots had been fired and the caller responded “probably 20,” while whispering.
“Okay. All right. We’re on the way, sir, OK?” the dispatcher said.
“(Whispering) thank you,” the caller said.
One caller was shot with a graze wound to their hip at Schemengees and was in the parking lot looking for their wife.
“I don’t think I’m — there’s a couple guys performing CPR on a gentleman right now. I need to find my wife,” the caller said.
After the dispatcher asked how many people were injured, the person said that the lights are out so they can’t tell how many people are hurt or dead, but “there’s lots of people.”
There were 22 teams of two people playing cornhole before the shooting and there were at least three injured people in the parking lot in the immediate aftermath.
As the caller is describing the scene to the dispatcher, they find their wife.
“Yeah, babe, I’m good. I’m good. I don’t — I don’t know. There’s a lot [inaudible] lots of casualties. I don’t — I don’t know how — a lot,” the caller said.
The call identifying the shooter as Card came in to Cumberland County dispatch at 8:57 p.m.
“Um, it’s about the shooting in Lewiston and we’re a little concerned,” the caller said. “We might know who the photo is.”
Police released surveillance pictures of the shooter around 8:25 p.m.
“Not that we’re in contact with this person, but, um, we’re a little concerned that maybe we might know who this person is —,” the caller said.
The caller then said they thought the shooter was Card, but that the photo was blurry and hard to tell.
“We’ve been very concerned about his — we know he has firearms in his house,” the caller said. “He lives alone. He shut his family out recently. We’ve just been really concerned about his mental health lately.”
Card just “hadn’t been well” recently and the caller said they had already dealt with the sheriff’s office. The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office went to Card’s home twice in September to perform a wellness check but never interacted with Card.
The call ends after the dispatcher said they would pass the information along to state police.
Audio of 911 calls cannot be legally released under Maine law.