U.S. Army Reserve, family raised alarm about Maine shooter weeks before
attack
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[October 31, 2023]
By Jonathan Allen
(Reuters) - Five months before a U.S. Army reservist shot dead 18 people
at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, his family contacted the
sheriff's office to say they were concerned about a decline in his
mental health and that he had access to at least 10 guns.
A second report came through in September, when Robert R. Card's Army
Reserve unit in the nearby town of Saco emailed the Sagadahoc County
Sheriff's Office requesting a "wellness check" on Card, Sheriff Joel
Merry said in a statement on Monday.
The Reserve unit told the sheriff's office that Card, a 40-year-old
sergeant, had reported "hearing voices" that tormented him with
accusations of pedophilia and of having a small penis, and that he had
threatened to "shoot up" the military facility, according to an incident
report released by the sheriff's office.
At least one soldier who was friendly with Card told his seniors that
his speech and conduct were so alarming that he feared that "Card was
going to snap and commit a mass shooting," according to the Army Reserve
unit's September email released by the sheriff's office.
On Oct. 25, Card killed 18 patrons and wounded 13 at two Lewiston venues
in the 10th-deadliest mass shooting in a country where gun violence has
become common. After a two-day manhunt, police found Card dead with a
self-inflicted gunshot wound in a trailer at a recycling plant where he
used to work.
Reuters was not able to contact Card's relatives or officials at the
Army Reserve unit. A U.S. Army spokesperson did not immediately respond
to queries.
In a statement to the New York Times, the Army Reserve said it had
reached out to the sheriff's office about Card "out of an abundance of
caution after the unit became concerned for his safety."
As in many U.S. states, guns are lightly regulated in Maine and no
permit is required to buy or carry one. In 2022, however, the state
passed a so-called "yellow flag law" that allows police to petition a
court for an order allowing them to temporarily seize guns from a person
who a medical practitioner has deemed may be in danger of hurting
themselves or others.
Law enforcement has said Card was committed to a mental health facility
in July for two weeks. His ability to carry out a massacre has raised
questions about the efficacy of the state's gun regulations and where
the limits lie in a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found a
constitutional right for individuals to carry weapons in public.
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Mourners look at pictures of the victims during a vigil for the
victims of the deadly mass shooting, at the Basilica of Saints Peter
and Paul, in Lewiston, Maine, U.S., October 29, 2023. REUTERS/Kevin
Lamarque/File Photo
In the account provided by the Sagadahoc County sheriff, his office
agreed not to make contact with Card after his teenaged son and
ex-wife reported their concerns on May 3, in which they told a
deputy that Card's anger and paranoia worsened after he got a
hearing aid in February.
Instead, a sheriff's deputy spoke with officials at the 3rd
Battalion 304 Training Group and connected them with Card's family.
The battalion officials "assured our office that they would ensure
that Card received medical attention," the sheriff's office said in
the statement.
'TIME TO HIMSELF'
When, months later, the Army Reserve unit sought a wellness check on
Card, another sheriff's deputy attempted to visit Card at his
trailer home in Bowdoin on Sept. 15 and Sept. 16, but there was no
answer, the office said. The deputy circulated a missing-person
notice among Maine law enforcement offices with Card's physical
description and a warning he should be considered armed and
dangerous.
After conferring with the Army Reserve unit and Card's brother the
sheriff's office made no further attempts to contact Card: Card's
unit commander told the deputy that Card no longer had any weapons
from the reserve unit.
"His commander advised that they were trying to get treatment for Mr
Card and that he thought it best to let Card have time to himself,"
the sheriff's office said.
Card's brother told the deputy he "would work to secure any firearms
that Mr Card had access to" and that he would call the sheriff's
office back if they were worried about him again.
"We believe that our agency acted appropriately and followed
procedures for conducting an attempt to locate and wellness check,"
Sheriff Merry's statement said.
The sheriff's office said it canceled the missing-person alert for
Card on Oct. 18.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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