Lewiston, MAINE (WHDH) — Maine Medical Center and other MaineHealth hospitals closed their campuses to non-hospital personnel and non-patients for a time after dozens of patients were sent to area hospitals following two mass shootings in Lewiston.
As of 5 p.m., officials said three patients are still in critical condition and called the influx of patients unprecedented.
“Maine Medical Center has alerted on-call staff and created critical care and operating room capacity in anticipation of potential patient transports coming from the Lewiston shooting this evening,” the hospital said in a statement overnight.
At Central Maine Hospital, heavily armed officers could be seen guarding the entrances as gunshot victims were being treated inside. Around 11 p.m. Wednesday, officers could be seen clearing the hospital’s garage with guns drawn before returning to the building.
The hospital is located near the bowling alley and bar where the two mass shootings occurred and in a statement confirmed it was handling a mass casualty incident.
A mother of one of the victims shot spoke with 7NEWS, describing how she was waiting to hear about her 23-year-old son’s condition.
Speaking over the phone, she said doctors told her that her son was lucky to be alive and that he had been intubated with two bullets still inside of him, but that he was in stable condition and would need a blood transfusion.
She said her son was not supposed to still be in the area when the shootings began, but that he had been celebrating the purchase of his first home Wednesday at the time.
As of Thursday morning, officials said at least 18 people were killed in the mass shootings in Lewiston, and that 13 were injured.
Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to call officials at 207-213-9526 or 207-509-9002.
READ: Latest coverage on shootings in Lewiston and the search for Robert Card
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