3 Army Reserve officers disciplined after reservist killed 18 people last October in Maine

PORTLAND, Maine — Three Army Reserve officers were disciplined for dereliction of duty after a shooting in which a reservist… 18 people killed in Maineaccording to an Army report that cited communication problems within the chain of command and between military and civilian hospitals, among other deficiencies uncovered during an investigation.

The Army Review, released Tuesday, found “a series of deficiencies by unit leadership,” said Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, chief of the Army Reserves, and administrative actions taken against the three officers could prevent further promotion in the Army. Those officers were not named in the report.

Survivors and families of victims have criticized missed opportunities to stop the 2023 attack, which came after family members and fellow reservists noticed the shooter was delusional and exhibiting paranoid behavior.

“My heart and soul goes out to all of those families, the people who witnessed what happened,” Daniels told reporters. “We’re doing our best to understand what happened, and then make changes moving forward.”

The partially redacted report noted that the gunner, Sgt. 1st Class Robert Card, had fallen from a ladder earlier, possible cause of head injury discovered in an autopsy. Daniels insisted there was no connection between his brain injury and his military service, even as the Department of Defense investigates possible damage caused by exposure to repeated blasts.

Card, 40, who was in the midst of a spiraling mental health crisis, made some alarming statements before the shooting. The investigation found that Card had a “kill list,” bragged he could kill 100 people with a gun he had purchased, and told a health care provider he decided to quit his job “before he finally killed someone,” the report said. Witnesses said Card answered the door of his Bowdoin home with a gun as a weapon because of his paranoia, the report said.

The shooting happened on October 25, 2023, at a bowling alley and a bar and grill in Lewiston. In addition to the dead, 13 people survived gunshot wounds and 20 others were injured from injuries other than those from the shooting.

In all, more than 130 people were present at the bowling alley, where a youth league was being held, and at the bar, where a cornhole tournament was being held. Card committed suicide.

A independent commission founded by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is also conducting its own investigation into the tragedy. The report is expected to be completed later this summer.

Both the Army Reserves and the Army’s Inspector General were asked to provide a full account of the events. The Army report, which ran to 115 pages, was based on interviews with 43 witnesses, 445 pieces of evidence, and visits to relevant locations, including the sites of the shootings and the location where Card’s body was found two days later.

The Army’s report, which recommended procedural changes and new policies to better manage the mental health of reservists, was so thorough that Army Inspector General Lt. Gen. Donna Martin told reporters at the Pentagon she concluded her office did not need to conduct an independent investigation.

The report cited deficiencies in the reserve unit’s leadership; communication problems and delays between an Army hospital and a civilian psychiatric hospital where Card was treated in New York; and procedural deficiencies, including an inadequate review of Card’s medical records before his case was closed by the Army Reserve Psychological Health Program.

It also recommended revising the structure of the U.S. Army Reserve’s behavioral health unit and conducting comprehensive behavioral health retraining for the entire U.S. Army Reserve, which consists of nearly 190,000 soldiers.

People who knew Card said his behavior began changing in January 2023, shortly before he bought hearing aids online. Card’s ex-wife and son had raised concerns about his paranoia and erratic behavior with police in May, two months before fellow reservists encountered an emaciated Card in New York, where members of his unit were training West Point cadets.

Concerns about his behavior and his attempt to assault a fellow reservist led to him being taken to an army hospital for evaluation, and then transferred to a private psychiatric hospital for treatment.

The report said there was enough evidence presented to commanders of Card’s deteriorating health that he should not have been allowed to attend training at West Point, where he was scheduled to work on the machine gun range. And while he was in the hospital, he should have maintained his duty status so the Army could better ensure continuity of care, the report said.

Instead, after 19 days of treatment in a psychiatric hospital, Card was released and returned home to Maine, where he was no longer on active duty and largely outside the scope of Army regulations.

The report noted a discharge report from Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital that Card exhibited symptoms including psychosis, mood swings and aggression, homicidal ideation, paranoia and auditory hallucinations. The report also noted that the hospital had requested a hearing to extend Card’s stay, but the request for a hearing was withdrawn before Card’s discharge.

The report criticized the Army Reserve Psychological Health Program for not fully reviewing Card’s medical records before dismissing the case because of Card’s refusal to cooperate.

The report failed to address a fundamental problem: Army Reservists are only under military command when they report for exercises. Once they return to civilian life, they are no longer bound by those rules.

An Army nurse practitioner who evaluated Card in New York recommended that Card’s weapons be removed, but Army officials mistakenly believed they had no options for his personal weapons and trusted Card’s family to arrange for them, the report said. The same nurse practitioner concluded that New York’s red flag law could not be used to remove Card’s weapon because it applied only to New Yorkers.

Back in Maine, Card’s behavior continued to deteriorate, and a reservist who said he was Card’s best friend reported to his superiors in September: “I believe he’s going to go crazy and commit a mass shooting.” That prompted a Maine officer to check on Card at his Bowdoin home, but the officer declined to initiate proceedings to confiscate Card’s weapons under the state’s yellow flag law, saying he lacked legal authority to initiate the process when Card refused to open the door to his home.

An interim report from Maine independent commission concluded that the police had the authority to confiscate Card’s weapons and that they should not have left this to Card’s family.