♪ this is "nightline." >> byron: tonight, breaking news. the u.s. striking iran-backed militant sites in syria. plus maine manhunt. the all-out search for the suspected gunman. >> he should be considered armed and dangerous. >> in the deadliest mass shooting this year. >> this city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens. no city does.

>> byron: the new clues. a suicide note. and how did an army reservist who spent time in a mental health facility still have a gun? >> if sometimes people say they never see this coming, with robert card, people clearly saw troubling signs. >> byron: were there missed signals? plus, survivor stories. >> when i turned around, i saw the shooter right like behind me. >> byron: parents and children running for safety, hiding behind tables and benches in that bowling alley. >> we were stuck in the corner, basically sitting ducks. >> byron: the terrifying moments when gunfire erupted. those who were there now struggling to understand. >> i never thought i'd grow up and get a bullet in my leg. why? like why do people do this? >> juju: "nightline" will be right back.

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with a qualifying internet bundle. comcast business, powering possibilities. >> byron: good evening. thank you for joining us. we begin tonight with breaking news from the pentagon. just a few hours ago, the u.s. striking two iran-backed targets in eastern syria. the pair of strikes we're told retaliation for at least 19 attacks against u.s. forces in iraq and syria in the last week by iran-backed militants. defense secretary lloyd austin said the u.s. does not seek conflict, and that the strikes are, quote, separate and

distinct for the ongoing war between israel and hamas. we pivot now to that horror in maine and the deadly shootings that have rocked the community and the nation. the desperate search intensifying for the army reservist authorities believe is responsible. hundreds of law enforcement personnel canvassing the state, covering rural areas and downtowns, turning those normally close-knit communities into virtual ghost towns. abc's trevor alt is there in lewiston, maine. trevor? >> reporter: unstead of gathering for a vigil, they need to continue sheltering in place until they capture this suspect. it is an ongoing effective lockdown for this community as the suspect has been on the run for more than 24 hours. the hospital here where they're treating the wounded is being guarded by officers with long guns. nearly every business and school is shut down. but when you speak to residents, they want nothing more than to see this suspect captured. because they want justice,

obviously, but because they want to be able to grieve together. byron? >> trevor, thank you. we're learning more about the layer rowing stories of survival from those caught in the senseless siege of gunfire and the lives lost. investigators also learning more about the suspected gunman's past and what might have motivated him. >> come out with your hands out and nothing in your hands and walk to the front of the truck in the driveway and follow my instructions. >> byron: the intense scene outside a residence tied to the suspect in the deadly shooting rampage in maine tonight. after more than 24 hours of an urgent manhunt to track down robert card, the man wanted in the mass shooting that left 18 dead, authorities zeroing in on this house. s.w.a.t. teams descending, helicopters overhead. >> it is standard procedure to try to get the person to engage with you. and then with a dialogue, you have at least increased your chances that you can end this peacefully.

>> byron: however, card was not found. it's the latest in the all-out effort to find the person authorities say committed the senseless violence that rocked maine and the nation. >> you respond to the town of lewiston for two active shooter locations, all available units. >> byron: on wednesday night a gunman opened fire with an assault-style rifle, first at a bowling alley and then in a bar, two places authorities say he may have had personal connection to. >> this city did not deserve this terrible assault on its citizens, on its peace of mind, on its sense of security. no city does. no state, no people. >> byron: the suspect, 40-year-old divorced father who was an army reservist with a history of mental health struggles, raising questions about missed signals. >> if sometimes people say they never see this coming, with robert card, people clearly saw troubling signs. his family painted a picture of a troubled individual with a history of mental illness.

>> byron: after the shooting, authorities say the suspect fled. triggering a frantic search. >> mr. card is considered armed and dangerous, and police advise that maine people should not approach him under any circumstances. >> byron: parts of maine like a ghost town, residents ordered to shelter in place. schools and many stores closed. the grove for those who lost loved ones palpable. >> your whole body, everything goes out of you, your heart goes flip-flop, and you -- it like there is a vise in you. your head can't take it, and you just feel like you're going blow up. >> byron: my colleague david muir talking to a the local council told him his son was a hero who tried to stop the gunman. >> it's just hard. i don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. >> i'm sorry.

>> byron: the massacre began just before 7:00 p.m. on tuesday night at a local bowling alley called just in time, formerly called sparetime. >> we were inside, a normal night of bowling. out of nowhere he came in and there was a loud pop. >> two active shooter locations. all available units. >> we have an active shooter. we have multiple injuries. >> there was a youth program under way. so there were kids bowling with their parents many of them when the first shots were fired. >> byron: megan hutchinson and her 10-year-old daughter story were there. >> between the lanes, there is some swinging doors, like where they keep all the mechanical stuff out back. we barricaded in there, and another parent was in the room with me. she had a phone. she called 911. >> byron: zoe's leg grazed by a bullet. >> i never thought i'd grow up and get a bullet in my leg. and it's just like why? why do people do this?

i was more worried about like am i going to live? am i going to maybe it out of here? like what's going to happen? are the cops going to come? >> byron: tammy asselin and her 10-year-old daughter toni were also at the bowling alley last night when the shooting started. >> i started to walk towards that sound. when i heard a second one and started seeing people running, running. and some people running down the bowling alley, the slippery bowling alley. unfortunately, some of them didn't make it. >> it was traumatizing because i just saw this dude sitting at the bar, and all of the sudden i see blood fly everywhere, and he fell to ground. and he wasn't moving. >> it didn't feel real. it didn't feel real at all. >> byron: trapped, seconds

turned to minutes, minutes turned into what felt like hours. >> we were stuck in the corner, basically sitting ducks. >> byron: they narrowly escaped, but lost their cousin. >> her name was tricia, and she was a fun-loving -- she was bubbly, she was always ready for some fun. she actually works at the belling alley too. so we would see her when we would go. >> byron: the second shooting scene a pool har and bar, schemengees, is about four miles from the bowling alley. people reportedly enjoying a night of corn hole. from her hospital bed, jennifer zenka telling us she was having dinner with friends when the shooting began. >> when i turned around, we all turned around and realized what was happening. we dropped to the ground. and that's when i think i was shot in the arm. >> byron: she had been shot, and this retired nurse still escaped through the back door. >> i kept my hand on my arm like a tourniquet. there was bleeding pretty

heavily. and i went to hide behind the dumpster. there was another gentleman there. but i knew i needed to get help. >> byron: rushed to the hospital, a doctor she used to work with now operating on her. >> i was one of the lucky ones. if the bullet had been either direction, i definitely would not have survived. >> byron: robin payne lives down the street from the bar and grill. her camera capturing the chaos unfolding at the crime scene in realtime. payne sheltered in place. >> so when i found out this was an active shooter event, i was very worried. i'm a single parent, and, you know, our house is so close. i could see everything happening. >> byron: the lewiston residents shocked a mass shooting hitting so close to home. state shootings are almost unheard of. just last year the state reporting 29 homicides, 15 of

them connected to domestic violence. >> lewiston, maine is a hard-working blue collar kind of town. people have a lot of grit and strength and determination, but they're also very close-knit, and they come together in times of tragedy. >> byron: last night, authorities found a white subaru belonging to the suspect in lisbon, maine, miles from the lewiston crime scene, at a boat launch. inside a firearm recovered. card owns a boat. authorities not ruling out that he could have used a boat to escape. the coast guard is searching the kennebec river. investigators are also finding a suicide note today at card's home written to his son. >> law enforcement won't share the rest of it, but they basically said- which would totally fit based on what we know about the suspect. probably rantings and raves about what he doesn't like or who he perceives would be his inmys. >> reporter: the army confirming

to abc news, card has been a reservist since december 2002. card is a sergeant first class who never deployed for combat. this summer card was deployed to sample smith training center in upstate new york to help support summer training for west point cadets. >> some of his fellow soldiers reported him to be behaving erratically. it appears he may have been making threats we're told against some of his fellow soldiers. that got him an intervention with military authorities. he was also in treatment for at least two weeks this past summer based on hearing voices in his head and threatening to kill a national guard base in saco, maine, where he may have also had military ties. >> reporter: back in maine, a community in morning. at least eight of the 18 victims have been identified. they include a youth bowling coach, a mother who rushed to call 911, and the manager of the bar and restaurant where so many lives were lost. those who survived still reeling from the tragedy. >> i'm just glad everybody here

is okay. but now it's the process of dealing with she and i saw. i'm just thankful that we made it out. >> byron: when we come back, we meet two mothers who experienced a heartbreak no parent should. i have moderate to severe crohn's disease. now, there's skyrizi. ♪ things are looking up, i've got symptom relief. ♪ ♪ control of my crohn's means everything to me. ♪ ♪ control is everything to me. ♪ feel significant symptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi is the first il-23 inhibitor that can deliver remission and visibly improve damage of the intestinal lining. and the majority of people experienced long-lasting remission at one year. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms,

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learn more and schedule at vaccines.gov welcome back. joining me tonight are two mothers turned activists in the fight against gun violence. nicole hockley, co-founder and ceo of sandy hook promise, a

kimberly running for mayor of uvalde. thank you for joining me. you both know the unimaginable pain the families in maine are dealing with tonight. nicole, i'd like to start with you. you lost your 6-year-old biodyl lan at sandy hook. the last time we spoke is every time there is one of these mass shootings, your heartbreaks all over again. what say you tonight? >> my heart is very broken for the lewiston community and for the families who are finding out that the people that they love won't be coming home again. it is -- it is something that you can never really imagine, because it's just impossible for you to put yourself into their shoes. but my feelings are within my heart and my anger as well that this has happened yet again. >> byron: kimberly, you lost your 10-year-old daughter lexi in uvalde. what is this moment like for you? >> you know, i remember watching mass shootings unfold

hurting, because you can only imagine. and now i don't have to imagine. i know. and i know what maine is going through right now. and i am broken for them. >> byron: yeah. a follow, kimberly, if i may. you're running for mayor of uvalde because you say, quote, you want to be the change. one of the things you're calling for is a complete ban on assault weapons. how do you think we can get there? >> i think about that often, and i really need americans who already recognize that something needs to change with gun laws, i need them to vote for representatives who also prioritize common sense gun legislation. and i also hope that they can look at my campaign and realize that politics aren't always just about careers. the everyday person has a seat at the table. we deserve to be heard as well. >> byron: yeah, yeah.

nicole, as we know, politically, one side argues, the other side argues mental health, full stop. the other side argues gun safety. again tonight, what say you? >> i don't think this is an either or conversation. this is an and. it is all about ensuring that someone who should not have a gun does not have one. we need more mental health supports for year and recognition of signs and the ability to report on those signs and have something happen with it. this gentleman, this shooter should not have had access to guns and weapons, plain and simple. it is about mental health and it is about the guns. we need to figure out the solution for both of those. just far too many people are dying. and the more that we do nothing, the more people continue to die, and that's unacceptable. >> byron: a final question to you both. the why. why do you think we find ourselves in this place? we are a great and dynamic nation. why do you think we struggle so to figure this out? kimberly, i'll start with you, and then nicole, i'll give you the last word.

>> i think that there is a disconnect. like i said before, the majority of americans recognize that there is a problem, but our leaders aren't taking action. >> byron: and nicole? >> i certainly agree with kim, and i just -- i don't think we're being very brave. this is the land of the free and the home of the brave, and we're neither when it comes to gun safety. we are instead lacking a voice. and gun violence affects a lot of gun owners. we need them to step into this. we need our leaders to step into this. i'm sure there are a lot of people who said enough is enough, but they're afraid to use their voice. now is the time to be brave, because this is going the happen in your community. you need to step up now and do something about it. >> byron: nicole, i know that when these happen, you and your organization reach out, connect with families who now walk this road you're both familiar with. this is my last question. if you could sit across one of

those families, hold their hands, look them in the eye, what would you say to them on a night like tonight? nicole, first to you. >> i just really hope their family and loved ones are around them. but i think i just really want them to know they're not alone. there are so many people that are sending them love tonight, tomorrow, the weeks and months after, and there are also far, far too many survivors like myself and kim, mothers who have lost children, people who have been injured and impacted that we're all here for you at any point for whatever you need. >> byron: and kimberly, last word to you, ma'am. >> i'm so sorry. i'm just so sorry. there is no words to make it better for them. and i know that. >> byron: yeah. well, you two share two powerful words tonight, "brave," "love.""

we all could use plenty of that. thank you, kimberly, nicole, for joining us tonight. we're so grateful. continued grates to you both. we'll be right back with a final thought.

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final lili tonight, on what is a difficult night on many fronts, we're struck by two words from the mothers in our last segment, brave, and love. it was catherine the great who said i beg you to take courage. the brave soul can mend even disaster. we all can hope. that's "nightline" for this evening. thanks for the company, america. good night.