Watch: Maine State Police hold press conference as manhunt underway after mass shootings

Watch as Maine State Police hold a news conference as the hunt for man linked to major mass shootings continues on Thursday 26 October.

A gunman left 18 people dead after he opened fire in the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley and then the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant in Lewiston at around 7pm on Wednesday night.

Terrifying surveillance footage grabs, shared on Facebook by the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, showed the shooter armed with a rifle.

An intensive manhunt is now under way for 40-year-old Robert Card, who has been described as a person of interest in the shootings.

Mr Card is a member of the US Army Reserves and a certified firearms instructor, who officials said had recently made threats to carry out a shooting at a National Guard facility and had reported mental health issues, including hearing voices.

His whereabouts are currently unknown though his car – a 2013 white Subaru – has since been located in the town of Lisbon.