Authorities publicly recognized Robert Card as an individual of curiosity about 4 hours after he shot and killed 18 folks and wounded 13 others throughout assaults final week at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine. But Card, who was discovered lifeless two days after his rampage, had been well-known to legislation enforcement for months. Here’s a take a look at among the interactions he had with sheriff’s deputies, his household and members of his Army Reserve unit, as gleaned from statements made by authorities and paperwork they launched:
MAY:
On May 3, Card’s 18-year-old son and ex-wife advised a college useful resource officer in Topsham, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) southeast of Lewiston, that they had been rising involved about his deteriorating psychological well being.
A Sagadahoc County sheriff’s deputy met with the son and ex-wife that day and the son stated that round final January, his father began claiming that individuals round him had been saying derogatory issues about him. He stated his father had develop into offended and paranoid, and described an incident a number of weeks earlier during which he accused the son of claiming issues about him behind his again.
Card’s ex-wife advised the deputy that Card had lately picked up 10-15 weapons from his brother’s residence, and she or he was apprehensive about their son spending time with him.
A sheriff’s deputy spoke to a sergeant from Card’s Army Reserve unit, who assured him that he and others would “figure out options to get Robert help.”
JULY:
Card and different members of the Army Reserve’s third Battalion, 304th Infantry Unit had been in New York for coaching on July 15 when he accused a number of of them of calling him a pedophile, shoved one in all them and locked himself in his motel room. The subsequent morning, he advised one other soldier that he needed folks to cease speaking about him.
“I told him no one was talking about him and everyone here was his friend. Card told me to leave him alone and tried to slam the door in my face,” the soldier later advised Maine authorities, in line with paperwork launched by the sheriff’s workplace.
New York State Police responded and took Card to a hospital on the U.S. Military Academy in West Point for an analysis.
“During the four hours I was with Card, he never spoke, just stared through me without blinking,” an unidentified soldier within the unit wrote in a letter to the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office.
Card spent 14 days on the Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Katonah, New York, which is a couple of miles (kilometers) from West Point.
AUGUST:
Card returned residence on Aug. 3, in line with the Army. At that point, the Army directed that whereas on responsibility, he shouldn’t be allowed to have a weapon, deal with ammunition or take part in live-fire exercise. It additionally declared him to be non-deployable.
On Aug. 5, Card went to Coastal Defense Firearms in Auburn, subsequent to Lewiston, to choose up a gun suppressor, or silencer, that he had ordered on-line, in line with the store’s proprietor, Rick LaChapelle.
LaChapelle stated to that time, federal authorities had accepted the sale of the gadget, which is used to quiet gunshots. But he stated the store halted the sale after Card crammed out a kind and answered “yes” to the query: “Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?”
Card was well mannered when notified of the denial, talked about one thing concerning the navy and stated he would “come right back” after consulting his lawyer, LaChapelle stated.
SEPTEMBER:
On Sept. 15, a deputy was despatched to go to Card’s residence in Bowdoin, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Lewiston, for a wellness verify. Card’s unit requested it after a soldier stated he was afraid Card was “going to snap and commit a mass shooting” as a result of he was listening to voices once more, in line with paperwork launched by the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office. The deputy went to Card’s trailer however couldn’t discover him.
The sheriff’s workplace then despatched out a statewide alert looking for assist finding Card. It included a warning that he was identified to be “armed and dangerous” and that officers ought to use excessive warning.
The similar deputy and one other one returned to Card’s trailer on Sept. 16. Card’s automobile was there and the deputy stated he might hear him shifting across the trailer, however nobody answered the door, in line with the deputy’s report.
The report included a letter written by an unidentified member of Card’s Reserve unit who described the July incidents in addition to getting a name the “night before last” from one other soldier about Card. The timing isn’t clear, however in line with the letter, the soldier stated he and Card had been coming back from a on line casino when Card punched him and stated he deliberate to shoot up locations, together with an Army Reserve drill middle in Saco, Maine.
“He also said I was the reason he can’t buy guns anymore because of the commitment,” the soldier wrote.
A deputy reached out to the Reserve unit commander, who assured him the Army was making an attempt to get therapy for Card. The commander additionally stated he thought “it best to let Card have time to himself for a bit.”
On Sept. 17, the deputy reached out to Card’s brother, who stated he had put Card’s firearms in a gun protected on the household farm and would work with their father to maneuver the weapons elsewhere and ensure Card couldn’t get different weapons.
Card didn’t report back to weekend Army reserve coaching actions in September or October, telling his unit that he had work conflicts and was unable to attend, the Army stated.
OCTOBER 2023:
On Oct. 18, the sheriff’s workplace canceled its statewide alert looking for assist finding Card.
One week later, shortly earlier than 7 p.m. on Oct. 25, authorities started receiving 911 calls a couple of gunman on the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston. Four native law enforcement officials who had been in plain garments at a close-by gun vary arrived on the taking pictures scene a minute and a half after the primary 911 name, however the gunman had already left. Other Lewiston officers arrived on the scene inside 4 minutes of the primary name.
Twelve minutes after the primary 911 name and because the first state troopers started arriving on the bowling alley, authorities started getting calls a couple of gunman at Schemengees Bar and Grille about 4 miles away. Officers arrived on the bar 5 minutes later, however once more, the attacker had already left.
Seven folks had been killed on the bowling, eight had been killed on the bar and three others died on the hospital, authorities stated.
Video surveillance footage from the bar confirmed a white male armed with a rifle getting out of a automobile and coming into the constructing, in line with Maine State Police paperwork launched Tuesday. Another portion confirmed a person “walk through the bar while seeking out and shooting at patrons.”
Authorities launched a photograph of Card an hour after the shootings and his members of the family had been the primary to establish him. Residents had been urged to remain inside with their doorways locked whereas a whole bunch of officers looked for the gunman.
Later on the evening of the assault, Card’s automobile was discovered close to a ship launch in Lisbon, about 8 miles (13 kilometers) from Lewiston. During a large search over the subsequent two days, authorities centered on property his household owns in Bowdoin.
Card was discovered lifeless of an obvious self-inflicted gunshot Friday evening at a recycling middle the place he used to work.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”