AT least 22 people were killed and dozens were injured Wednesday night in two shootings in Lewiston, U.S. state of Maine, NBC News and CNN reported, citing multiple law enforcement sources.

Around 50 to 60 more were wounded at several locations, including a local bowling alley, according to law enforcement officials. A couple of shooting incidents occurred at around 6:56 p.m. local time Wednesday, with multiple locations involved, Michael Sauschuck, commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, confirmed late Wednesday.

Police have identified Robert Card, 40, a trained firearms instructor and a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, as a “person of interest” in the two fatal shootings.

Hundreds of officers continue to search for Card as he remains at large, Sauschuck said, adding that the suspect is considered “armed and dangerous.”

Law enforcement officials said Card “recently reported mental health issues.”

Local police previously said there had been an active shooter Wednesday night, urging residents in Lewiston and Auburn to shelter in place.

The Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston said it was “reacting to a mass casualty, mass shooter event” and coordinating with area hospitals to take patients.

U.S. President Joe Biden called Maine’s governor and several local lawmakers to offer federal support in the wake of the deadly shootings, the White House said.

“If people see him, they should not approach Card or make contact with him in any way,” Sauschuck said at a news conference.

The shooting rampage began shortly before 7 p.m. and fueled calls for everyone in Lewiston to shelter in place as hundreds of officers joined the search for the gunman. Lewiston police shared images of a man walking into what appears to be a bowling alley holding a high-powered assault-style rifle.

Sauschuck said it’s a “fluid situation” and did not provide a number on how many have been killed as of early Thursday, but Lewiston City Councillor Robert McCarthy told CNN 22 people had been killed, citing a city administrator.

A “vehicle of interest” was found 11 kilometers from Lewiston in the town of Lisbon Wednesday night, prompting shelter-in-place-orders for that area as well, Sauschuck said.

The violence Wednesday added to a list of 565 mass shootings reported across the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

(SD-Xinhua)