Fears Maine shooting suspect Robert Card may have SAILED OFF as coastguard scrambles ship & search stretches out to sea

COPS have extended their search for suspected gunman Robert Card out to sea after a shooting spree in Maine killed 18 people.

The local coastguard is using a ship and aircraft to search the water for Card, who they fear could be attempting to flee in a 15-ft boat.

Cops said today that the 40-year-old has been charged with eight counts of murder following the deadliest US mass shooting of 2023.

He is expected to be charged with more as the remaining 10 bodies are officially identified.

They have warned the public not to approach him, saying he is armed and dangerous, as .

Card was named after a shooter, armed with an AR-15-style rifle, unleashed gunfire at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday evening.

Chilling photos released by cops showed the gunman dressed in a brown sweatshirt and jeans stalking the bowling alley packed with kids.

Police believe the car they were searching for in connection to Card was found near a boat launch in Maine, according to .

As well as the white Subaru registered to his name, Card owns a green boat - although it is not clear if cops believe he has used it to flee.

The Subaru was found abandoned after the horrific spree near the Androscoggin and Kennebec rivers that stretch further than 170 miles into the Maine Gulf, which borders Canada.

have also issued an "armed and dangerous" warning to their police force amid the desperate manhunt.

It comes after a suicide note was reportedly found at Robert Card's home 24 hours after the horrific attack, according to .

The note apparently did not include a motive for the shooting, which killed at least 18 and injured 13.

Police surrounded a Bowdoin, Maine home on Thursday night and were heard calling for Card to come out but cops then left the scene.

An ex-FBI agent Bobby Chacon even warned he could be hiding in an abandoned Maine cabin.

Card's reign of terror began just before 7pm on Wednesday when police received calls about an active shooter at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley.

About 10 minutes later, Maine State Police received multiple calls about a shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille, about four miles from the bowling alley.

"A large law enforcement response from multiple surrounding agencies assisted the Lewiston police department in trying to identify who this individual was, what was happening," Colonel William G. Ross said.

"As you can imagine, this was a very fast-paced, fast-moving, very fluid scene, very dangerous scene that these guys and girls were into."

Just weeks before the bloody massacre, Card made threats to carry out a shooting at a National Guard facility in Saco, Maine.

A U.S. official, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Associated Press that Card had been evaluated for "erratic behaviour" in July per the .

The Army reservist was apparently behaving strangely while training at a U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York, and was taken to hospital soon after.