Family of Lewiston shooter to testify before commission investigating tragedy

AUGUSTA, Maine — An independent commission investigating the mass shooting that killed 18 people in Maine is preparing to hear from the gunman’s family for the first time.

An Army reservist with a history of mental health problems committed the deadliest shooting in Maine history in October, opening fire with an assault rifle at a bowling alley and bar and grill in Lewiston. The committee has been meeting for months and is hearing from police, victims and their families, and army reservists who served with Robert Card.

On Thursday, commissioners will take testimony from Card’s family. They have kept a low profile other than releasing a statement in March after revealing an analysis of Card’s brain tissue showed signs of traumatic brain injury. Card had trained others in the use of hand grenades, and the military said the analysis indicated more needed to be done to prevent blast-related injuries.

“We want to start by saying how deeply saddened and heartbroken we are for all the victims, survivors and their loved ones, and for everyone in Maine and beyond who has been affected and traumatized by this tragedy. We are hurting for you and with you, and it is difficult to put into words how much we wish we could undo what happened,” the family statement said.

Card, 40, was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an extensive search. In the aftermath, the Legislature passed new gun laws for Maine, a state with a long tradition of gun ownership. They have, among other things, strengthened the state’s “yellow flag” law, criminalized the transfer of guns to banned people and expanded funding for mental health crisis care.

Family members had alerted police that Card had become paranoid and they were concerned about his access to weapons. Other reservists also witnessed his mental health deteriorate, to the point that he was hospitalized for two weeks during training last summer. One of the reservists, Sean Hodgson, told superiors on September 15: “I believe he is going to strike and do a mass shooting.”

The committee, which also asked Thursday to hear from an Army Reserve Psychological Health Program official, issued an interim report in March saying law enforcement should have seized Card’s weapons and placed him in prison based on those warnings should have taken protective custody, using the existing yellow alerts. flag law. A full report is expected this summer.

Police testified that the family had agreed to remove Card’s guns, but the commission said leaving them to his family was “an abdication of law enforcement responsibility.”