President Joseph Biden has ordered flags across the country to be lowered “as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on October 25, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine.”

The Associated Press and other media are reporting a man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in the second largest city in Maine last night, and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes under a shelter-in-place advisory. Lewiston is approximately 25 miles north of state capitol Portland.

Two law enforcement officials said dozens of people also had been wounded. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the ongoing investigation and spoke to AP on condition of anonymity.

A police bulletin identified Robert Card, 40, as a person of interest in the attack that sent panicked bowlers scrambling behind pins, into corners and a back room when shots rang out around 7 pm Wednesday.

Card was described as a firearms instructor believed to be in the US Army Reserve and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Me. Law enforcement was still looking for the shooter as of Thursday morning.

Lewiston Police said in a Facebook post last night that they were dealing with an active shooter incident at Schemengees Bar and Grille and at Just-In-Time Recreation, a bowling alley about 4 miles away. Many parents and children were reportedly at the bowling alley as part of a children’s bowling league.

The bowling alley is home to traditional tenpin bowling as well as candlepin. It’s located about 2 miles north of the Bates College campus, on the outskirts of downtown. The alley has a small bar and is popular for local bowling leagues and children’s parties.

Wednesday was “industry night” at the restaurant, with discounts offered to customers who work in the bar or restaurant industry.

The document, circulated to law enforcement officials, said the shooter had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said he had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base.

Flags are to remain lowered until October 30, per the President’s proclamation.

Wednesday’s was the 36th mass killing in the United States this year, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.