Worse than his bloodiest novel: Stephen King reveals Maine massacre was next to where he went to school - as locals say city that was named as one of Forbes' 'best places to retire in 2017' has been plagued by gun violence ever since

Horror novelist Stephen King has voiced his fury over the Maine shootings that left 18 people dead as he revealed he went to school in one of the towns now sheltering from the gunman.

King, who was born in Portland, Maine, blamed 'rapid-fire killing machines' for the massacre in the city of Lewiston, 50 miles from where he lives.

The acclaimed author attended Lisbon High School in neighboring Lisbon Falls, which is now under lockdown amid a desperate manhunt for the shooter, believed to be previously sectioned Army reserve firearms instructor Robert Card, 40.

'This is madness in the name of freedom,' King said on the platform X. 'Stop electing apologists for murder.' He added: 'THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN OTHER COUNTRIES.'

Novelist Stephen King has voiced his fury over the Maine shootings with his former school now under lockdown as police launch a desperate manhunt for the shooter

He wrote: 'This is madness in the name of freedom. Stop electing apologists for murder.'

The deadly shooting, which left 18 dead, has rocked the otherwise sleepy city of Lewiston, once a retirement haven that has been plagued by a recent crime wave

The deadly spree at a bowling league and nearby bar has shocked the otherwise sleepy city of Lewiston, home to around 38,000 people.

Residents of Lewiston and nearby Lisbon and Bowdoin have been advised to not go outside on Thursday morning as the gunman remains at large.

Public schools have closed in Lewiston, Bowdoin and Portland, the state's biggest city, which is over 30 miles from Lewiston.

Lewiston, Maine's second most populous city, was named as one of the best places to retire in the US by Forbes in 2017, owing to its affordable living costs, low serious crime rate, good access to healthcare and hiking trails.

But the area has been plagued by disquiet over a perceived crime wave ever since.

The Lewiston Sun Journal reported last Spring that residents were moving out of the area after becoming 'rattled' by 'blatant drug dealing' in a 'once pristine neighborhood' that had undergone 'a lot of negative change in the last five years'.

One Lewiston woman told the paper: 'I don't go some places because alone isn't safe. There is a lot more shooting. It has been on the rise when big men come from out of state to deal drugs or women.'

Crime in the city spiked by 20 per cent last year, according to the police department's annual report, with homicide, gun crime, rape and robbery all on the rise.

Nine people were struck by gunfire in Lewiston in the first half of 2022, including Meghan Duncan, 24, who was shot and seriously wounded inside her home.

A day later, police tracked down a suspect, described as a violent fugitive, in a Massachusetts hotel room.

King blamed 'rapid-fire killing machines' for the massacre after the shooter used an AR-15-style rifle to open fire on a children's bowling alley and nearby bar

King's former school is under lockdown as the shooter remains at large

Law enforcement gather outside Schemengee's Bar and Grille as the search for a gunman 

Law enforcement vehicles drive on the parking lot of the Lisbon High School gymnasium

The gunman, wearing a brown hoodie, is seen in Lewiston on Wednesday night. Police believe it is Robert Card

The gunman then moved onto the nearby Schemengees Bar and Grille, pictured above

The shooter used an AR-15-style rifle to open fire at he Sparetime Recreation bowling alley on Wednesday night. The venue is pictured above

Unlike the massacre that left 18 dead on Wednesday night, police say shootouts in the city are typically the result of ongoing feuds between drug trafficking gangs from states in lower New England.

Neighboring Bowdoin, where suspected shooter Card is from, is still recovering from a deadly shooting that killed four people in April.

The tiny town of rolling hills, farmhouses, one store and just over 3,000 people was rocked after a gunman went on a rampage four days after being released from prison.

Joseph Eaton, 34, killed his parents and two of their friends and two of their friends before opening fire on Interstate 295, a day after he alleged in a Facebook Live video that he was 'traumatized' after being 'molested'.

Eaton, who should never have been allowed to possess a firearm owing to past convictions, admitted to shooting dead his parents and their friends at a home in Bowdoin, before injuring three others on his highway rampage.

His previous crimes included felony aggravated assault, domestic violence and violence against a law enforcement officer.

Lisbon, a small town of 9,711 people, to the south east of Lewiston, also remained under lockdown on Thursday morning as the search for Card continued.

The shooting bears a chilling resemblance to a novel King wrote while he was still in high school in 1965, but didn't publish until 1977.

'Rage' tells the story of a disturbed Maine high-school student with authority problems who brings a gun to school, kills faculty members, and holds his Algebra class hostage.

But King subsequently asked for the book to be withdrawn from publication after the book was linked to four real-life school shootings.

In April 1988, a California student held his high school class hostage, later telling police he got the idea from 'Rage'.

A year later, a 17-year-old from Kentucky held his classmates hostage for nine hours in an apparent attempt to replicate the book.

In February 1996, a 14-year-old boy in Washington state who was apparently inspired by 'Rage' shot and killed his algebra teacher and two classmates.

In December 1997, a 14-year-old boy fired on a prayer group at his school in Kentucky while a copy of 'Rage' was in his locker.

King's novel 'Rage' tells the story of a disturbed Maine high-school student who carries out a school shooting. The novelist withdrew it from publication after a spate of copycat acts

King has said he doesn't believe the book alone caused those incidents, but that it may have been a 'possible accelerant' for those with troubled backgrounds.

In 2013, he published an anti-firearms essay titled 'Guns'.

The Maine shooter used an AR-15-style rifle, a firearm responsible for the majority of America's epidemic of mass shootings, sparking renewed debate over gun control.

Card was sectioned this summer with mental health issues. He previously reported hearing voices and threatened to shoot up his National Guard base in Saco, Maine. 

Survivors have described how they escaped by fleeing down bowling lanes and hiding behind pins at the Sparetime Recreation alley as the gunman opened fire while children were playing - leaving 18 dead and 13 injured. 

Maine has a fairly high level of gun ownership, and relatively lax laws: Roughly half of its households have firearms, according to research cited by Maine public radio last year.

There is no independent background check system, no red flag law to identify those at extreme risk for gun violence, no requirement that convicted domestic abusers turn in their guns and no permit requirements for concealed weapons.

Card, as a certified firearms instructor, would have had no problem in obtaining weapons.

But unlike many states with such a large supply, it sees relatively few fatal shootings each year: 89 percent of gun deaths are suicide, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.

Maine has a fairly high level of gun ownership, and relatively lax laws: Roughly half of its households have firearms, according to research cited by Maine public radio last year.

There is no independent background check system, no red flag law to identify those at extreme risk for gun violence, no requirement that convicted domestic abusers turn in their guns and no permit requirements for concealed weapons.

Card, as a certified firearms instructor, would have had no problem in obtaining weapons.

But unlike many states with such a large supply, it sees relatively few fatal shootings each year: 89 percent of gun deaths are suicide, according to Everytown for Gun Safety.