(StraightNews.org) An investigation into Army reservist Robert Card’s condition in the run-up to a mass shooting in Maine has found “multiple communication failures” between Card and his Army Reserve unit. Inquiries revealed that Sergeant 1st Class Card suffered significant mental health deterioration, including the onset of hallucinations, in the months leading up to the Lewiston mass shooting that left 18 people dead.
Lieutenant General Jody Daniels, chief of the Army Reserve, told reporters that three officers from Card’s chain of command had been punished for dereliction of duty.
Card began hearing voices and feeling persecuted in January 2023, and between then and May, four mental health-related incidents had been reported to local law enforcement. The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office communicated those incidents to the Army Reserve, who ordered Card to attend a training event in New York. It was at that event that his behavior deteriorated to such an extent that commanders had him hospitalized.
He was released within weeks, but the civilian hospital he transferred to after initial treatment at a military facility failed to inform the Army Reserve that he had been discharged. Therefore, the Reserve did not initiate a line-of-duty investigation that would have opened communications with both hospitals and informed the military about his condition.
Furthermore, the investigation found that the hospital discharged Card as “low risk,” even though he was exhibiting “homicidal ideation” and speaking about a “hit list.”
A friend told military authorities he was worried Card would carry out a mass shooting just weeks before the incident. Reserve leaders told local law enforcement, but officers did not engage with Card. The friend told officials that Card had talked about his weapons collection and places he could “shoot up.”
Local law enforcement officials responded to criticisms, saying they had no legal grounds to pursue Card because he was not accused of any crime.
Robert Card fatally shot himself after killing 18 people and injuring more than a dozen others at a bowling alley and restaurant last October.
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