A shocked Lewiston resident has told the OceanNewsUK that the whole city was put in lockdown after mass shootings that reportedly left at least 16 people dead and dozens injured.
Billie Jayne Cooke, who is running for the city council, said she was just leaving a public event on Wednesday evening when she first heard of the attack and that the shooter was on the run.
"The entire ride home was just solid sirens, one siren after another. Helicopters, sirens, I've never heard so much activity in my life in this city.
"We have police from all over the state, from out of the state, coming up," said a visibly distressed Ms Cooke.
"It's horrible. We always say it's not a matter of when but if, and you just don't think that's ever going to happen - and it did."
Ms Cooke added that she called one of her sons as she was driving home.
"I was talking to him on my car phone and the entire time it was just nothing but sirens and helicopters. And when I finally got back... [I] told him I was home safe.
"It just, it's crazy. I can't process this because it just seems so unimaginable.
"Everybody here is in the in the dark, as everybody else is in the world."
Ms Cooke said fewer than 40,000 people lived in Lewiston, but added: "We're very fortunate that we actually have two hospitals in our city, which is amazing, as small as we are."
Meanwhile, Riley Dumont told ABC News she was at Lewiston's Just-In-Time bowling alley with her family at the time of the shootings there.
Ms Dumont said her 11-year-old daughter had been taking part in a children's bowling league when she heard several gunshots.
Her father, a retired police officer, had then corralled their family into a corner.
"I was laying on top of my daughter," Ms Dumont said. "My mother was laying on top of me."
She added that she saw three or four apparent victims.
Nichoel Wyman Arel was driving home past the bowling alley around the time of the shooting and told CNN she saw a person who looked like they had "blood all over them" but could not tell if they were hurt.
She added that her young daughter was with her at the time.
"She was definitely scared," said Ms Arel.
"She started crying and said, 'This is a scary world we live in Mom.' I'm like, 'I know.'"
Ms Arel said she locked up the house when she got home, on the advice of the authorities while the suspected gunman was at large.
Shanna Cox, the president of the Lewiston Auburn Chamber of Commerce, told the OceanNewsUK she was also sheltering at home with her children.
"Our shades are down, our doors are locked, our windows are locked," said Ms Cox.
"We've got the majority of interior lights off and we're ensuring that no-one's leaving the home."
