Maine gunman’s family sought help in May. What failed?

By James On Nov 1, 2023

Five months before the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history, the gunman’s family alerted the local sheriff that they were concerned about his deteriorating mental health while he had access to firearms, authorities said Oct. 30.

After the alert, the Sagadohoc County Sheriff’s Office contacted officials from Robert Card’s Army Reserve unit, who assured deputies they would speak with Mr. Card and ensure he received medical attention, Sheriff Joel Merry said.

The family’s concerns about Mr. Card’s mental health dated back to early this year, before the sheriff’s office was contacted in May. It was the first in a series of interactions police had with the firearms instructor before he marched into a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston. October 25, killing 18 people and injuring 13 others.

After an intensive two-day search, which left residents tense, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Mr. Card underwent a mental health evaluation last summer after accusing soldiers of calling him a pedophile, pushing one and locking himself in his room during a training exercise in New York, officials said. A bulletin sent to police shortly after last week’s attack said Mr Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks after “hearing voices and threats to shoot up a military base ”.

Documents released by the sheriff’s office on Oct. 30 provided the most detailed timeline yet of other warning signs and failed attempts to stop the gunman months before he killed.

On September 15, at the request of the reserve unit, a deputy sheriff was sent to Mr. Card’s home for a welfare check after a trooper said he feared Mr. Card “was going to commit a mass shooting” because he heard vote again. The deputy went to Mr. Card’s trailer but couldn’t find him — and couldn’t find him the next day, either. The sheriff’s department then issued a statewide alert for assistance in locating Mr. Card, warning that he was known to be “armed and dangerous” and that officers should use extreme caution.

By then, Mr. Card’s reserve unit had become sufficiently concerned that it had decided to take away his military-issued firearms, the sheriff’s office was told. Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro confirmed that story, adding that Mr. Card had also been declared “non-deployable” and that multiple attempts had been made to contact him.

According to the deputy’s report, after visiting Mr. Card’s home, he contacted the reserve unit commander, who assured him that the military was trying to get treatment for Mr. Card. The commander also said he thought “it was best to give Card some time to himself.”

The deputy then contacted Mr. Card’s brother. The brother said he had placed Mr. Card’s firearms in a gun safe on the family farm and that he would work with their father to move the guns elsewhere and ensure Mr. Card could not obtain other firearms.

Authorities recovered numerous weapons during the search for Mr. Card after the shooting and believe he purchased them legally, including a Ruger SFAR rifle found in his car, officials said Oct. 30. A Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifle and a Smith & Wesson M&P Near his body was a .40-caliber pistol.

Authorities have not said whether they believe Mr. Card planned the Oct. 25 disaster in advance. Nearly three months ago, he tried and failed to obtain a device used to silence gunfire, an Auburn gun store owner said.

Rick LaChapelle, owner of Coastal Defense Firearms, said Mr. Card purchased a suppressor, also known as a silencer, online and arranged to pick it up at his store.

Mr. Card had already provided information to the federal government to purchase it, and federal authorities had approved the sale up to that point, he said.

When Mr. Card filled out the form to pick up the silencer at Mr. LaChapelle’s gun shop on August 5, he answered “yes” to the question: “Have you ever been convicted as mentally ill OR have you ever been sentenced to a mental institution ?”

“Once he answers yes, we automatically know that’s disqualifying. He’s not getting a silencer today,” Mr. LaChapelle said.

Silencers are more heavily regulated under federal law than most firearms. Federal law requires buyers to apply to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and be approved. The dealer must also conduct a background check.

He said Mr. Card was polite when told of the denial, said something about the military and said he would “be right back” after consulting his lawyer.

Facing increasing public scrutiny, investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre, but have increasingly focused on Mr. Card’s history of mental health.

On October 30, Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, held a press conference to provide an update on the response to the shooting. The conference quickly became contentious when Ms Mills refused to provide information about what the investigation has revealed so far.

Ms. Mills said state lawmakers would take another look at Maine’s gun control laws. Proposals for stricter laws have stalled or failed in recent legislative sessions.

“I’m not going to stand here today and tell you that I’m proposing X, Y and Z,” she said. “I’m here to listen, work with others and bring people to the table as quickly as possible.”

Mr. Card’s body was found in a trailer at a Lisbon Falls recycling center in late October, but it was unclear when he died.

Lewiston residents returned to work on Oct. 30, the morning after gathering to mourn the victims of the shootings. More than 1,000 people attended the Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul for a vigil in Lewiston.