Family Says Maine Suspect May Have Been Looking for Ex

Maine police on Thursday night briefly surrounded a home believed to be the last known address of the suspected gunman in the mass shooting that killed 18 people Wednesday. The manhunt for suspect Robert Card, 40, has continued since the shootings at two locations in Lewiston, a bar and a bowling alley, and police could be heard saying over a megaphone at the house in nearby Bowdoin, per ABC News, "Robert Card, you're under arrest. Come out now. Drop everything and come outside." The search later wound down, and Maine State Police explained to NBC News that the officers were using "standard search warrant announcements when executing a warrant to ensure the safety of all involved." While authorities were following a lead, police said, there was no expectation Card would be apprehended at the residence. Law enforcement sources tell CNN more such searches are expected in coming days. Meanwhile, more was coming out about the suspect:

• Suicide note: Sources say a suicide note addressed to Card's son was found inside Card's home earlier Thursday, but that the note does not provide a motive for the mass shooting. It reportedly contains "rantings" and personal details like bank account information, per ABC.
• Disturbing statements: Card's life apparently began to, as the Washington Post puts it, "[spiral] out of control" over the summer. That's when Card was hospitalized for psychiatric treatment after he made statements targeting his own army reserve unit that "alarmed" his military reserve commanders, a source says.
• Voices: Multiple sources say that in recent months, Card had begun hearing voices, and that he started to get fixated on the bar and bowling alley where the shootings ultimately took place.
• Connection to the locations: "We don't think this was completely random," a law enforcement source says, noting Card had affiliations with both the bar and the bowling alley. The father of the manager at the bar, who was killed in the shootings, says Card was a familiar face: "All of the people over there know him."

• Ex-girlfriend: The aforementioned source says Card's ex-girlfriend is connected to one of the locations, and Card's sister told investigators he may have been looking for his ex at the locations, sources say.
• Troubled: The sources say Card's relatives are painting a picture of him as a "deeply troubled" person, and his behavior had concerned those around him enough that he had been reported to law enforcement more than once in recent months. His online activity, sources say, also indicates that he "interacted with conspiratorial content."
• Divorce: Card divorced in 2007, with the minor child he shared with his ex living primarily with his mother, according to an amended divorce agreement filed in 2013.
• Weapon: The assault rifle-style weapon used in the shootings was allegedly purchased by Card legally this year, law enforcement sources say. Maine does not require background checks on every gun sale, nor does it have a "red flag" law allowing a judge to temporarily block a person's access to guns. It does have a "yellow flag" law allowing law enforcement to take a person's firearms if a medical professional deems that person a danger. It's not clear whether that law was called upon in this case.

(More Maine mass shooting stories.)