4 weeks ago
Three months earlier deranged gunman Robert Card massacred 18 guiltless group successful Maine, nan seasoned was involuntarily committed to a intelligence wellness installation during training pinch his Army Reserve unit.
Previously it was wide reported that Card, 40, had mental wellness issues but nan truth that his enactment of nan summertime was involuntarily was first revealed Tuesday by nan Boston Globe.
Card was accusing soldiers of calling him a pedophile, shoving 1 and locking himself successful his room during training successful New York, officials said.
The wide slayer spent 2 weeks successful nan New York hospital. He returned to Maine connected August 3.
Following that committal, Card's superiors were told that nan gunman should not grip immoderate weapons aliases participate successful live-fire activities during training. Despite that warning, Card was still capable to legally acquisition firearms arsenic a civilian.
Upon his return, Card attempted to bargain a silencer for 1 of his guns, nan truth that he declared his involuntarily enactment successful his exertion disqualified from getting his hands connected nan suppressor.
Robert Card, 40, connected October 25, committing wide execution successful a bowling alley successful Lewiston, Maine. A constabulary alert describing him arsenic 'armed and dangerous' had been canceled conscionable a week before
People clasp candles during a candlelight vigil for victims of Lewiston wide shooting arsenic officials are forced to reply questions astir nan missed opportunities they had to extremity Robert Card
Card's assemblage was recovered precocious Friday aft a melodramatic manhunt successful a trailer astatine a recycling halfway successful Lisbon Falls, but it was unclear erstwhile he died
A bulletin sent to constabulary soon aft past week's onslaught said Card had been committed to a intelligence wellness installation for 2 weeks aft 'hearing voices and threats to sprout up' a subject base.
There has been wide disapproval surrounding nan grounded efforts to extremity nan gunman months earlier he killed 18 people.
'They missed nan boat. It's arsenic elemental arsenic that. They each dropped nan ball,' Leroy Walker Sr, whose boy Joseph was killed astatine Schemengees Bar and Grille successful Lewiston, told nan Globe.
According to recently released criminal affidavit, Card had been making love a female who he met done playing cornhole, his relative said. That narration ended successful February 2023, which according to nan gunman's sister, group him disconnected connected a downward spiral.
Card's relative 'said that ever since nan narration ended Robert started wearing proceeding immunodeficiency and had been saying crazy things.'
A friend of nan slayer told constabulary that Card would spell retired to eat at Schemengees pinch his erstwhile woman and her 2 young daughters. While there, he began to fishy that patrons and nan bar's head were gossiping astir him being a pedophile.
One of those accused included nan bar's manager, Joey Walker, who was 1 of nan victims of nan tragedy.
Card's sister meantime told authorities that her relative had stopped taking his intelligence wellness medicine successful nan lead-up to nan massacre and had mislaid a sizeable magnitude of weight.
She said that he believed his family were portion of a conspiracy against him.
In May, Card's ex-wife Cara and their boy Colby visited constabulary to study their concerns astir his intelligence wellness and his weapon ownership
No constabulary section aliases charismatic successful Maine has admitted location were missed opportunities to extremity nan shooting. Above, officials giving an update connected October 27 while Card was still connected nan run
In May, Card's teenage boy Colby and his ex-wife Cara visited constabulary to study their concerns. Colby told nan Sagadahoc Sheriff's County Deputy that his begetter was convinced strangers were ever talking astir him, calling him a pedophile.
Cara Card, Robert's ex-wife, said she nary longer wanted her boy spending clip pinch his begetter astatine his home, wherever he kept 10-15 guns and rifles.
According to nan deputy's study aft visiting Card's location successful September, he reached retired to nan reserves' portion commandant who assured him nan Army was trying to get curen for Card. The commandant besides said he thought 'it champion to fto Card person clip to himself for a bit.'
The lawman past reached retired to Card's brother. The relative said he had put Card's firearms successful a weapon safe successful nan family workplace and would activity pinch their begetter to move nan guns location other and make judge Card couldn't get different firearms.
Authorities recovered a multitude of weapons while searching for Card aft nan shooting and judge he had legally purchased them, including a Ruger SFAR firearm recovered successful his car, officials said Monday.
A Smith & Wesson M&P15 firearm and Smith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber handgun were pinch his body.
Card, 40, told his boy he was convinced group were calling him a pedophile down his back. His relative said his intelligence wellness troubles became worse pinch his proceeding aids
In May, Cara and Colby Card - Robert's ex woman and boy - visited constabulary to study their concerns
This is nan alert each constabulary section successful Maine received astir Robert Card successful September. Two attempts were made to interaction him and information was added to nan service base, but it was canceled connected October 18th
Speaking Card's attempted acquisition of a silencer, Rick LaChapelle, proprietor of Coastal Defense Firearms, said Card purchased a suppressor, besides called a silencer, online and arranged to prime it up astatine his shop.
Card already had submitted accusation to nan national authorities to acquisition it, and national authorities had approved nan waste to that point, he said.
When Card filled retired nan shape astatine LaChapelle's weapon shop to prime up nan silencer Aug. 5, he answered 'yes' to nan question: 'Have you ever been adjudicated arsenic a intelligence defective OR person you ever been committed to a intelligence institution?'
'As soon arsenic he answered that 'yes' we cognize automatically that this is disqualifying, he's not getting a silencer today,' LaChapelle said.
Silencers are much heavy regulated nether national rule than astir firearms. Federal rule requires buyers to use pinch nan Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and beryllium approved. The trader must do a inheritance cheque too.
He said Card was polite erstwhile notified of nan denial, mentioned thing astir nan subject and said he would 'come correct back' aft consulting his lawyer.
Investigators are facing expanding nationalist scrutiny and still searching for a motive for nan massacre but person progressively focused connected Card's intelligence wellness history.
On Monday, Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, held a news convention to supply an update connected nan consequence to nan shooting. The convention turned contentious quickly erstwhile Mills declined to supply accusation astir what nan investigation has turned up truthful far.
Mills said authorities lawmakers would revisit Maine weapon power laws. Proposals for tighter laws person stalled aliases grounded successful caller legislative sessions.
'I'm not going to guidelines present coming and show you I'm proposing X, Y and Z,' she said. 'I'm present to listen, activity pinch others and get group astir nan array arsenic promptly arsenic possible.'
Authorities person not said whether they judge Card planned nan Oct. 25 rampage successful advance.
Card's assemblage was recovered precocious Friday successful a trailer astatine a recycling halfway successful Lisbon Falls, but it was unclear erstwhile he died.
Residents of Lewiston returned to activity Monday, nan greeting aft coming together to mourn those mislaid successful nan shootings.
More than 1,000 group attended Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul for a vigil successful Lewiston.
The deadliest shooting successful Maine's history stunned a authorities of 1.3 cardinal group that has comparatively small convulsive crime and only 29 killings successful each of 2022.
The Lewiston shootings were nan 36th wide sidesplitting successful nan U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by nan AP and USA Today successful business pinch Northeastern University.
The database includes each wide sidesplitting since 2006 from each weapons successful which 4 aliases much people, excluding nan offender, were killed wrong a 24-hour clip frame.
