Lewiston Maine shooting update: Suspect’s ‘aggressive’ gun comments revealed

• In May, family members contacted authorities, concerned about his mental health in combination with his possession of firearms.
• Months before the deadly attacks, Robert Card, a US Army reservist, was reportedly held in a mental facility for two weeks over the summer. He was taken by police in July for evaluation at the urging of concerned military officials. He was then released.
• In mid-September, a statewide awareness alert was issued after Card made threats against the base in Saco, Maine.
• Also in mid-September, authorities attempted to conduct a welfare check on Card after prompting from the National Guard after he “made threats to shoot up the Saco National Guard facility.”

Fast forward to Wednesday, 25 October…

• Minutes before 7pm on Wednesday night, shots were fired at Just-in-Time Recreation, a bowling alley on Mollison Way in Lewiston, Maine.
• At 7.08pm, multiple 911 calls reported an active shooter at Schemengees Bar and Grill on Lincoln Street, just four miles from the bowling alley.
• Just after 8pm, Maine State Police urged Lewiston residents to shelter in place. “Please stay inside your home with the doors locked. Law enforcement is currently investigating at multiple locations,” the department wrote.
• At 8.06pm, police released a photo of the shooter to the media, and an hour and a half later, the Lewiston Police Department received a call identifying the man in photos as Card. Among the first calls were from Card’s family members, officials revealed on Saturday morning.
• Two hours later, at 9.56pm, state police officers alerted that they had found a “vehicle of interest” in Lisbon at Pejepscot Boat Launch, prompting the shelter-in-place advisory to extend to Lisbon. The Lewiston Police posted a photo on Wednesday night of a white Subaru station wagon. That vehicle was registered to Card, police said. A long gun was found in the vehicle.
• By Friday evening, police had found Card’s body — in a box trailer in Maine Recycling Corporation’s overflow lot. Authorities believe he took his own life. It’s not entirely clear how Card wound up at the recycling facility, but it is believed that he walked from the boat landing via a trail that linked the two locations.

A letter details the incident that led up to the suspected shooter’s mental facility stay over the summer

A letter, obtained by CNN, details what led to Robert Card’s stay at a psychiatric facility in July.

On July 15 near West Point, Card and other soldiers “had gone to a convenience store to get some beer,” according to the letter.

“In the parking lot [he] accused three of them of calling him a pedophile and said he would take care of it,” it continued. “One of the soldiers who had been friends with [him] for a long time was there. [He] got in his face, shoved him, and told him to stop calling him a pedophile.”

The law enforcement source told CNN they said they calmed down Card and returned to the motel, where Card locked himself in his room and refused to communicate with others.

The following day, another soldier got the key to his room and saw him.

“[He] told me to leave him alone and tried to slam the door in my face,” the letter said. Card’s comrade then Card to a base hospital where a psychologist determined he needed further treatment, prompting a 2-week stay.

What was the motive for the attack?

Perhaps the biggest question looming in the wake of the tragedy is what could have driven suspect Robert Card to execute this brutal attack?

However, Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck confirmed at an early press conference on Friday that the suspect did leave behind a mystery note after allegedly going on the killing rampage.

Officials have refused to reveal the contents of the note, hinting that it may point to a possible motive for the killings.

Police sources had previously told ABC News that a “suicide note” addressed to his son had been found inside Card’s home during a search.

The sources said the note contained the suspect’s rantings as well as some personal information such as bank account details.

As well as the note, a law enforcement official told CNN that Card’s cellphone had also been recovered.

ICYMI: Who was the gunman?

Police identified 40-year-old Robert Card as the “person of interest” and later suspect in a deadly shooting.

Photos of the gunman, made public for identification, showed him wearing brown clothes and brandishing a high-powered assault-style rifle – law enforcement described the weapon as an AR-15-style rifle with a possible telescopic sight.

Officials at Saturday morning’s press conference said the first three calls that “positively identified” the gunman were from his relatives; they also said “strong mental health cloud over what happened,” and clarified that police have not found records indicating that he was “forcibly committed for treatment.”

Card served as a firearms instructor in the US Army Reserve.

He joined the US Army in 2022 and became a Sgt 1st class and Petroleum Supply Specialist. He had no combat deployments during his enlistment.

But recently, the gunman had disclosed mental health issues, citing experiences of auditory hallucinations and threats to attack the National Guard Base in Saco, according to a Maine law enforcement bulletin seen by the Associated Press.

Over the summer, he was admitted to a mental health facility for two weeks.

“I have known Rob my whole life,” Katie Card told The Daily Beast. “He is quiet but the most loving, hardworking, and kind person that I know. But in the past year, he had an acute episode of mental health, and it’s been a struggle.”

She explained that her brother-in-law had begun wearing hearing aids and was convinced he could hear people talking about him at the two locations of the shooting.

“He truly believed he was hearing people say things,” she said. “This all just happened within the last few months.”

The Senate passed a relevant amendment just before the shooting

Mere hours before Robert Card, a US army reservist, allegedly began his shooting spree on Wednesday, the Senate approved an amendment that would cut down background check requirements for some veterans and service members with mental health issues.

The amendment aims to prevent veterans from losing their gun rights, and prevents the Department of Veterans Affairs from reporting certain veterans to the National Criminal Background Check system when their finances are being managed by a conservator at the VA.

Reports have suggested that Card had been hearing voices and was upset by them. Officials also said at Saturday’s press conference that there is a “strong mental health cloud over what happened,” but dismissed the theory that he had been hearing voices.

More missed warning signs

The family of Robert Card had reportedly raised an alarm about his deteriorating mental health five months before the suspected gunman went on a shooting spree that killed 18 people in the small town of Lewiston, Maine.

Authorities on Monday said that Card’s “concerned” family had alerted the local sheriff about his mental health while in possession of firearms in May this year.

Sheriff Joel Merry said the Sagadohoc County Sheriff’s Office contacted the officials from Card’s army reserve unit, who confirmed they would talk with him and ensure he received the necessary medical care.

After the shooting killed dozens, law enforcement looked for him for days until they eventually found his body in a box trailer. He appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A bar manager, four deaf friends and a teenage bowler are among the 18 victims who were formally identified by police as victims of the Maine mass shooting.

The ages of those caught up in the violence ranged from 14 to 76 years old. Some who died reportedly put themselves in the line of fire to protect others.

Just before 7pm on Wednesday 25 October, the gunman entered Just In Time Recreation – a popular, family-friendly establishment– and opened fire on the innocent victims inside. Seven people including one female and six males died in the attack at the bowling alley, before the gunman moved on to his second target the Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant.

Late on Friday evening the body of 40-year-old Robert Card, the man sought in connection with the killings, was found.

Officials said that the US Army reservist and certified firearms instructor had recently made threats to carry out a shooting at a National Guard facility and had reported mental health issues, including auditory hallucinations.

Here is a list of the victims as identified by police, as put together by Andrea Cavallier, Rachel Sharp, Mike Bedigan and Ariana Baio:

The ‘difficult corner’ Republicans have found themselves in regarding guns

The interview illustrates well the difficult corner where Republicans now find themselves — simultaneously pushing for the government to have more power against individuals in some areas and less power in others. And unable to risk the political consequences of supporting reforms to gun legislation, the party finds itself in the wilderness when attempting to offer meaningful responses to mass shootings, John Bowden reports.