Maine police defend search for gunman who killed 18 last fall, saying they feared an ambush
By DAVID SHARP and NICK PERRY
Associated Press
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine state police are defending their search last fall for a gunman who had just killed 18 people, saying they didn’t rush to search woods surrounding his abandoned car because they feared an ambush. It took police two days to find the body of shooter Robert Card, who died by suicide, while tens of thousands of Maine residents were ordered to shelter in their homes. Police have been criticized for not finding Card sooner. On Thursday, Maj. Lucas Hare told a panel investigating the shooting that he decided to delay a search of the woods around the car because they’d been told that Card, a former Army reservist, might have a thermal scope and night-vision capabilities.