Report: Sheriff's office and Army blamed for missing warning signs of Maine mass shooter Robert Card.
The final report on the Lewiston, Maine, shootings was made public on Tuesday by an independent commission.
The independent commission investigating the Maine mass shooting in Lewiston has concluded that both the Army Reserve and Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office share blame for not noticing problematic behavior from Robert Card. This conclusion was obtained by Planet Chronicle on Tuesday.
The commission, comprising of more than a dozen members, conducted over a dozen public hearings, listened to testimony from numerous witnesses, and examined thousands of documents as evidence. The report highlighted the police's shortcomings in seizing the gunman's weapons and the Army Reserve's failure to provide adequate care for the 40-year-old Card.
Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, announced the commission's conclusions at Lewiston City Hall, just a few miles from the two shooting sites where 18 people were killed and 13 others were injured on Oct. 25, 2023.
Dan Wathen, independent commission chair, stated at a press conference that the commission unanimously determined that several opportunities, if seized, could have altered the tragic events' outcome.
"Despite the knowledge of his auditory hallucinations and increasingly aggressive behavior, Card's commanding officer failed to exercise their authority over him and take necessary steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public. Despite the strong recommendation of Card's mental health providers to stay engaged with his care and take steps to remove weapons from his home, the leaders of his Army Reserve unit ignored this advice."
The commission agrees that in September 2023, SCSO had "sufficient probable cause to detain Card under Maine's yellow flag law and to initiate a petition to seize any firearms he owned or controlled."
An independent entity with policing expertise should conduct a full, after-action review of the Maine State Police's actions, and provide professional recommendations for policy, protocol, and other policing improvements.
On Oct. 27, a card was discovered lifeless near a dumpster at a recycling plant in Libson Falls, Maine, where he had previously worked, due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This month, a three-day waiting period for gun purchases became law in Maine, a state known for its hunting and firearms ownership traditions, following the shootings.
A lawyer representing the families of the deceased and survivors described the shooting as a hazardous blend of firearm possession and mental health issues.
The individual who was known for being paranoid, delusional, and suffering from a diagnosed psychosis was paired with someone who owned numerous weapons of warfare, including six semiautomatic assault weapons, according to the person who spoke to reporters.
SCSO did not immediately respond to a Planet Chronicle Digital request for comment.
This report was contributed to by Kitty Le Claire of Planet Chronicle, Adam Sabes, and The Associated Press.
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