- Army reservists told police they believed Card would commit an attack in September
- An alert was sent to the police but no one could find it and it was eventually canceled a week before the October 25 massacre.
- The families of some of the dead are furious. The police did nothing to stop him
Newly released text messages reveal the extent to which Maine police were alerted to mass shooter Robert Card by his fellow soldiers in the Army Reserves, who reported their fears six weeks before the attack that killed 18 people.
In September, Army reservists were so concerned that Card, 40, was about to kill that they told each other to “change the passcode” for the entrance gate to their base in Saco, and warned each other to be armed in his presence.
“Change the unit gate access code and be armed when Sergeant First Class Card arrives. Please. I think he’s confused in his head.
These text messages sent by an Army reservist sergeant to his supervisor in September reveal the extent to which there were concerns about Robert Card. The supervisor called the police, who alerted Card, but nothing was done to bring him in or strip him of his weapons
Card slaughtered 18 people on October 25 and then fled, eventually shooting himself
‘And threaten unity in other and other places. I love (him) to death, but I don’t know how to help him and he refuses to get help. I’m afraid he will waste his life hearing things he thinks he heard,” reads a text from Sergeant Hodgson.
He added: “He dropped it off and was worried his guns were still in the car… He still has all his guns.”
In another, he said, “I think he’s going to shoot and do a mass shooting.”
The sergeant reported his fears to a supervisor, who then notified sheriff’s deputies with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office.
But all that was done to stop Card was a File 6 alert, sent to police forces across the state, which was largely ignored.
This is the warning every police department in Maine received in September about Robert Card. Two attempts were made to contact him and security was added to the army base, but this was canceled on October 18
In May, Cara and Colby Card, Robert’s ex-wife and son, visited police to express their concerns
Officers went to his house twice to try to talk to him but were unsuccessful and on October 18, exactly a week before the massacre, the File 6 alert was cancelled.
It described him as ‘armed and dangerous’ and told police to be cautious if they encountered him.
Maine State Police have put the tragedy behind them and say they are not responsible for the alert or responded to it.
Now the families of some of those killed are demanding answers about why police didn’t do more to stop Card when they had the chance.
‘He should never have been allowed to walk free, he had made threats and threats. They can’t wash it away and say we did everything we could do,” said Leroy Walker, whose son was among those killed. CBS.
The 40-year-old killed himself after slaughtering 18 at the Lewiston bowling alley and bar.
No police department or official in Maine has acknowledged missing opportunities to stop the shooting. Above, officials provide an update on Oct. 27 while Card was still on the run
Card, 40, told his son he was convinced people were calling him a pedophile behind his back. His brother said his mental health problems were made worse by his hearing aids