LEWISTON, Maine — Dozens of tractor-trailers lined up outside the Wal-Mart distribution center in Lewiston, waiting to deliver goods, a ripple effect from Wednesday’s mass shooting.
Trucks carry all kinds of goods, from ice cream to candy to paper plates and even vegetables. The problem is that drivers say there is no one inside the building to pick up the goods their trucks are transporting.
“We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place with nowhere to go,” George Castle, a driver who drove from Buffalo with a load of onions, told News Center Maine.
Many people who work at Walmart distribution centers live in Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon, or other nearby communities. Those towns and the rest of Androscoggin County remain under a shelter-in-place order and on lockdown as the search for mass shooting suspect Robert Card continues. Because of this, workers stop going to work.
RELATED: Live Updates | Law enforcement continues to search for Lewiston shooting suspect
“We have a lot of drivers here. We don’t know the fuel levels, but they have to find fuel to keep their trucks moving and refueled, and most places are closed,” he said. said Jerome Neal, who came by car with a load. “This is a big problem,” he explained when it comes to vegetables.
Castle said Walmart has asked for the trucks to be removed from the street leading to the building, but police have told him it would be a disaster to put all the trucks back.
Some drivers said they are running out of food and have to drive long distances because Lewiston and nearby towns are all closed.
RELATED: Rifle hunting season is set to begin this weekend, but plans may change
“About 100 cargo trucks loaded with all sorts of goods from paper plates to vegetables have been lined up at the Walmart distribution center here in Lewiston for the past day and a half, but no one has come to pick up their goods,” Castle said. said. .
According to drivers, about 70 to 100 trucks are waiting outside the distribution center.
News Center Maine attempted to contact Walmart but did not hear back about the company’s plans for trucks and drivers.
The search continues for Robert Card, 40, of Bowdoin, after a shooting at a Lewiston restaurant and bowling alley Wednesday night left 18 people dead. Late Thursday, heavily armed law enforcement, supported by a police helicopter, surrounded the Bowdoin residence and told anyone who might be inside to surrender, but authorities said no one was ultimately taken into custody. He left without showing any signs.
Police say Card is considered armed and dangerous and the public is advised not to approach or have contact with him. An arrest warrant listing eight murder charges has been issued, and state police said that number will likely rise to 18 if more victims are identified.
More than 350 law enforcement officials are involved in the search for the cards, according to state police. This search is a collaborative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
A shelter-in-place order has been issued for all of Androscoggin County and the town of Bowdoin in Sagadahoc County. People in these areas are asked to stay indoors and off the roads until further notice.