Image source, Getty Images

As we pause our coverage, here's a look back at the biggest updates from today as a manhunt continues for a gunman who carried out the deadliest mass shooting of the year in Lewiston, Maine.

• Law enforcement surrounded a house linked to the suspect in Bowdoin, Maine - said they were executing a search warrant
• Officials are looking for 40-year-old Robert Card. He is an army reservist and struggled with mental health issues, according to his family
• Eight people remain in the hospital, with five in stable condition and three in critical condition
• The 18 people who died in the attack include a grandfather who loved bowling and a man who tried to stop the attacker (you can read more about the victims here)
• Residents are still being told to shelter in place as the manhunt continues more than 24 hours after the shooting

• The deadly attack has reignited calls for more gun control measures in the US, with Maine Congressman Jared Golden calling for an assault weapons ban, a reversal from his previous stance on the measure

Image source, Reuters

A shelter in place order has kept many in Lewiston indoors, away from the gunman who remains at-large.

But some are coming out anyways to show their support.

Miia Zellner, an art teacher from Turner, Maine, about 20 minutes outside of Lewiston, posted hearts around the downtown area on Thursday.

She told the Associated Press she wanted to show her love and support in the wake of Wednesday night's tragedy.

Image source, Reuters

We're now more than 24 hours into a manhunt for the shooting suspect, Robert Card.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Nomia Iqbal
Reporting from Bowdoin

Helicopters with a search light are circling the skies in a specific area above Bowdoin - we’ve arrived here after a 20 minute drive from Lewiston where the shooting happened.

This is where the suspect is from and police have gathered at a property, which is said to be his house.

It is pitch black but lights from dozens of media cameras gathered here give us some visibility.

Officers are on the scene making announcements for the suspect to come out of the property.

On the main road, as you walk towards the house, there are rows and rows of parked cars - including police vehicles.

Still, law enforcement officials aren’t saying for sure if he is the house. We understand the announcements they are shouting are a standard search warrant protocol.

Law enforcement officials are executing a search warrant at the home on Meadow Road in the town of Bowdoin, the Maine Department of Public Safety tells the BBC's US partner, CBS News.

Media on the scene are reporting that police are speaking into a megaphone, telling the suspect that he must come out of the house "with your hands up".

But Maine Department of Public Safety says it is not clear whether the suspect, Robert Card, is in any of the homes law enforcement are searching.

"Law enforcement officials are simply doing their due diligence by tracking down every lead in an effort to locate and apprehend Card," the safety department says.

The announcements being heard over a loud speaker are "standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved", the safety department adds.

Law enforcement has surrounded a home in Bowdoin, Maine as a part of their investigation into the Lewiston shootings, according to a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety.

Spokesperson Shannon Moss said contrary to some media reports, no gunshots have been fired at the home.

"When it’s appropriate to do so additional information will be released," Moss told BBC's US partner CBS News.

Image source, EPA

The US Army has just released more details about the suspect in the shootings, Robert Card.

Card is a sergeant first class in a reserve Army unit, the 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment. The unit is based in Saco, Maine, about an hour south of Lewiston.

In the hours after the attacks, Maine police reported that that Card was an Army firearms instructor. But the police later corrected that information and the Army says he was never trained in that field.

“While his unit supported West Point summer training in July of 2023, there are no records to indicate he instructed or participated in any training,” the statement noted.

West Point is the United States Military Academy in New York state. Cadets trained at the academy go on to serve as US Army officers.

Card enlisted in the Army reserves in December 2002 and worked as a petroleum supply specialist, but never deployed into combat, according to the Army.

In an indication of how wide the hunt for the suspect has extended, residents in Androscoggin County and northern Sagadahoc County have been told to shelter-in-place – to stay indoors for their own safety.

In total the orders cover a large patch of land - around 700 sq miles (1810 sq km). Police in the area’s major settlements – Bowdoin, Lisbon, and Lewiston itself – have also told people to stay inside.

Androscoggin County is home to around 110,000 people, and in Lewiston our reporters have only seen a handful out on the streets, as part of emergency teams or to walk their dogs.

Nadine Yousif
BBC reporter, Toronto, Canada

Eight of the 18 killed during Wednesday night's mass shooting have been identified, but their names have not been released.

Among them are Bob Violette, a 76-year-old retiree and avid bowler, and bar manager Joseph Walker.

Family members have begun speaking out, sharing details of their tragic loss.

Violette was identified by his daughter-in-law Cassandra. She told the Lewiston Sun Journal that he died protecting a group of children that he was with at the bowling alley.

He leaves behind three sons and six grandchildren, she said. His wife, Lucy, was injured in the attack.

Cassandra described Violette as a life-long Lewiston resident who had deep ties to the community, and who made people around him feel cared for.

"He wouldn't let you walk out the door without giving him a hug, and a kiss on the cheek. He was just there for everything," she said.

Walker's death was confirmed by his father, Leroy Walker, who is a city councillor in Auburn.

Walker worked at Schemengees Bar and Grill, one of the locations where the gunman opened fire. He was killed after attempting to go after the gunman, Leroy told ABC News.

In a separate interview with NBC News, Leroy said he received notification of his son's death 14 hours after the shooting.

"None of us slept, we were up all night," he said. "We didn't know where to go, who to run to."

You can read more here.

Image source, Bob Violette family

During the most recent news conference, police offered few updates on the search for the suspect, 40-year-old Robert Card.

Law enforcement officials said a shelter in place order remains in effect for Lewiston and nearby areas nearly 24 hours after the gunman opened fire.

"Please stay at home and be safe," Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said.

Republican Senator Susan Collins is speaking again and calling for a ban on high-capacity magazines.

She notes that she was a co-author the Safer Communities Act, the most substantial gun control legislation that Congress passed in decades last year.

But many Democrats and gun control activists argued the bill did not go far enough.

Pressed by reporters about what action can be taken against gun violence, Collins says there is more to be done.

"It is more important that we ban very high capacity magazines," she says. "I think that would have more effectiveness."

Jared Golden, who represents the local area in the US Congress, spoke briefly to call for a ban on assault-style weapons - high-capacity semi-automatic rifles, one of which appears to have been used in these shootings.

Golden, a member of the Democratic Party, says he had previously opposed such a ban. He says he had a sense of "false confidence" about the safety of Lewiston, his hometown.

"The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure," he said. "For the good of my community I will get this done in the time I have left in Congress."

We're hearing now from Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who is emotional as she speaks. She says today is a "dark day".

"Our hearts are heavy with grief," she says.

"This heinous attack, which has robbed the lives of at least 18 Mainers and injured so many more is the worst mass shooting that the state of Maine has ever experienced and could ever imagine."

She says "everyone" is determined to bring the killer to justice.

Officials have taken to the podium and are reminding residents that shelter in place order remains in place.

We're expecting an update soon from Maine officials.

US Senator Susan Collins, Representative Jared Golden, and Lewiston Chief of Police David St Pierre will hold a press conference to discuss the mass shooting and the ongoing manhunt at around 18:00 local time (22:00 GMT)

You can follow the press conference live by clicking the 'play' arrow at the top of this page.

Police have now been looking for suspect Robert Card for almost a day.

The attack is one of several shootings in the US that have led to extensive, hours-long manhunts.

In Texas in May this year, a man eluded law enforcement for four days after police say he shot five people in Cleveland, Texas.

In January of 2023, authorities searched for Huu Can Tran for a day after he allegedly killed 11 people celebrating the Lunar New Year in Monterey Park.

Police eventually found the suspect dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

There are even earlier instances of days-long search operations after shootings. In 2009, a gunman shot and killed four police officers in a coffee shop in Lakewood, Washington, leading to a two-day manhunt that spanned several cities.

The suspect, Maurice Clemmons, was eventually shot and killed by a police officer in Seattle.

Image source, Reuters

Several businesses and organisations have suspended or delayed their services as the search for the gunman continues.

All public schools in the Lewiston school district will be closed on Friday, according to a statement, the second day students have been told to stay home.

Multiple events were also cancelled or delayed in Portland, Maine, the state's most populous city, located roughly 35 miles (56km) south of Lewiston.

On Thursday, an annual food festival event there was cancelled.

Multiple performances, including a show featuring comedians John Mulaney and Pete Davidson have been postponed.

Image source, Reuters

Speaking to reporters just moments ago, Dr John Alexander of Central Maine Health Care said over 50 doctors, nurses and other staff were taking care of patients last night.

He said his team was prepared to deal with a mass casualty incident like this one, but "in terms of the volume of patients that we saw in a very short period of time, that certainly rises to a level that we don't often see".

He added that last night was "very difficult" for hospital staff.

"And what made it more difficult was the fact that this is our community. A lot of our team members work and live in this community," he said.