Maine authorities tried to contact Robert Card six weeks before he fatally shot 18 people when they were alerted to concerns that Army reservists would “bulk up and carry out mass shootings,” according to documents obtained by The Post.
A sergeant with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a welfare check on the 40-year-old man after they were told Card had lashed out at his family and heard voices accusing him of being a “pedophile,” according to a pair of incident reports.
Officers were unable to locate the man who eventually shot and killed 18 people at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, sparking a massive manhunt that ended in suicide, Card said.
Family members were among the first to sound the alarm about Card’s erratic behavior, and his brother even told police he was going to try to take Card’s guns.
The US Army wrote in a letter to the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office that a trooper was “concerned that Card was going to snap and open fire,” according to an incident report filed by the sheriff’s office in mid-September.
Maine authorities tried to contact Robert Card six weeks before he fatally shot 18 people.AP
The soldier, identified only as SSG Hodgson, voiced his concerns after Card punched him as the pair drove home from the casino.
“Kad started talking about people calling him a pedophile again,” the letter from the Armed Forces states.
“When Hodgson told him to call it off because he would get in trouble talking about shooting places and people, Card punched him.
“Hodgson was able to get out of the car and return to his own home. According to Hodgson, Card said he had a gun and was going to shoot up drill centers in Saco and other places.”
Police had they been alerted to concerns Army reservists would have snapped and opened fire in mass shootings.AP A sergeant with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a welfare check on the 40-year-old man after they were told Card lashed out at his family.Post Illustration
Card was previously committed to Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Westchester County, NY for treatment after he accused another soldier of calling him a pedophile and that “he was going to take care of him” while a group of them were in New York, the Army letter stated.
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“During the four hours I was with Card, he never spoke, just stared at me without blinking,” the letter said. “He spent 14 days at Four Winds then was released. To my knowledge he has not sought further treatment since his release.”
Members of the Sagadahoc and Kennebec sheriff’s offices tried to speak with Card during a welfare check on Sept. 16, but he did not respond even though he appeared to be at home, the document said. Law enforcement and the Army were aware that Card was a skilled shooter and caution was needed when trying to contact him, the document said.
Card’s brother also told authorities at one point Card usually came to the door with a gun in hand, but was out of sight, the report stated.
The US military told CNN the health and wellness check was requested by Card’s unit “out of an abundance of caution after the unit became concerned for his safety” while declining to provide further details because of the ongoing Army investigation.
Another incident report filed by the Sagadahoc sheriff’s office in May outlined how Card’s family, including his children and ex-wife, said he had been experiencing mental issues as early as January.
Card became violent at his home and allegedly began hearing voices.Robert Miller Law enforcement officers gather outside Schengees Bar and Grille after a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine on Oct. 27. 2023. AP
His ex-wife also told police her ex-husband recently took 10-15 handguns and rifles that were used to be kept at her brother’s house, the document said.
“… the gun was locked in Robert’s bedroom but added he may have one in his truck,” the report states with Card’s son also telling police he was “worried his father had it.”
But according to the September incident report, Card’s brother told officers he and his father would work to make sure Robert “didn’t have access to any firearms.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
