LEWISTON, ME - Nine months after the deadliest shooting in Maine's history, a special commission tasked with investigating what happened and whether the mass shooting could have been prevented released its report detailing the missed opportunities to potentially stop the rampage.
According to CBS News, the report pointed to failures on the parts of both the Army Reserves and local law enforcement to intervene in the gunman, 40-year-old Robert Card's psychiatric crisis that led to the former U.S. Army Reserve killing 18 people at a bowling alley. The 215-page report created an image of a spiraling reservist whose weapons should have been seized before he had a chance to carry out the attacks.
The independent commission, which held more than a dozen public meetings, heard from tons of witnesses and reviewed thousands of pages of evidence — cited shortcomings by police for failing to take the gunman's weapons and by the Army Reserves for failing to provide proper care for Card. The commission was created by Governor Janet Mills.
The report reiterated the panel's conclusion from an interim finding in March that law enforcement had authority under the state's "yellow flag" law to seize the shooter's guns and put him in protective custody weeks before the mass shooting. It also said that Army Reserves should have done more as well to ensure care and deal with the weapons.
At the beginning of the report, the commission did note that while the gunman was "solely responsible for his own conduct," and that he may have still committed a mass shooting even if his weapons were taken from him prior to October 25, 2023, it highlighted opportunities to intervene, writing, "if taken, might have changed the course of events."
In the case of the "yellow flag" order, the commission found that the local sheriff could have pursued one against Card in September 2023, which would have only been a few weeks before the shooting. The report said, "Based on the information available to the Sheriff's Office from Card's family members and colleagues in the [Army Reserves] as well as the historical information available within its own files, the Sheriff's Office had probable cause to believe that Card was mentally ill and that due to that illness, he posed a likelihood of serious harm."
Daneil Wathen, chair of the commission, said that it's impossible to know if the tragedy would have happened if police and the Army had done a better job. He also said that police did their best to respond to the tragedy, but noted that there was "utter chaos" when hundreds of police officers poured into the region.
In a letter addressed to Governor Mills that introduced the report, Wathen shed light on some of the broader consequences of the shooting. He wrote, "Every Mainer was touched by what occurred on October 25, 2023. The acts of violence ended and upended our lives, forever changed our communities, and damaged a sense of safety and tranquility that defines what it means to live in Maine. Our investigation and the information and findings set out in this final report are meant to bring truth to the victims' families, to those who were injured, and to the people of our state and nation."
He closed out the letter by saying he hopes their findings will "help the healing process," while at the same time, "enabling the public and policymakers to learn from mistakes." The commission began its work a month after the mass shooting. Over nine months, there were emotional testimonies from family members and survivors of the shooting, law enforcement officials and U.S. Army Reserves personnel, and others.
The commission's public hearings revealed the swift response by police to the shootings, but also the ensuing chaos during the intensive search for the gunman. Card's sister testified at a hearing with her hand resting on his military helmet as she spoke. Kathleen Walker, whose husband, Jason, was killed while rushing at Card to try to stop him said, "The system failed and we can't allow this to happen again."
Family members and fellow reservists said Card had exhibited delusional and paranoid behavior months before the shooting. He was hospitalized by the Army during training in July 2023, but a commanding officer acknowledged to the commission that he didn't check on Card's compliance on follow-up care. Then in September, a fellow reservist texted an Army supervisor saying, "I believe he's going to snap and do a mass shooting."
Army officials conducted their own investigation after the shootings. Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, the then chief of the Army Reserves, said that the investigation found a "series of failures by unit leadership." Three Army Reserve leaders were disciplined for dereliction of duty. The report noted also noted communication failures within the chain of command and between military and civilian hospitals.
Following the shooting, Maine's legislature passed new gun laws for the state. A three-day waiting period for gun purchases went into effect this month. The commission included Wathen, a former chief justice of Maine's highest court, two former federal prosecutors, two additional former judges, the state's former chief forensic psychologist, and a private psychiatrist.
According to CBS News, the report pointed to failures on the parts of both the Army Reserves and local law enforcement to intervene in the gunman, 40-year-old Robert Card's psychiatric crisis that led to the former U.S. Army Reserve killing 18 people at a bowling alley. The 215-page report created an image of a spiraling reservist whose weapons should have been seized before he had a chance to carry out the attacks.
The independent commission, which held more than a dozen public meetings, heard from tons of witnesses and reviewed thousands of pages of evidence — cited shortcomings by police for failing to take the gunman's weapons and by the Army Reserves for failing to provide proper care for Card. The commission was created by Governor Janet Mills.
The report reiterated the panel's conclusion from an interim finding in March that law enforcement had authority under the state's "yellow flag" law to seize the shooter's guns and put him in protective custody weeks before the mass shooting. It also said that Army Reserves should have done more as well to ensure care and deal with the weapons.
At the beginning of the report, the commission did note that while the gunman was "solely responsible for his own conduct," and that he may have still committed a mass shooting even if his weapons were taken from him prior to October 25, 2023, it highlighted opportunities to intervene, writing, "if taken, might have changed the course of events."
In the case of the "yellow flag" order, the commission found that the local sheriff could have pursued one against Card in September 2023, which would have only been a few weeks before the shooting. The report said, "Based on the information available to the Sheriff's Office from Card's family members and colleagues in the [Army Reserves] as well as the historical information available within its own files, the Sheriff's Office had probable cause to believe that Card was mentally ill and that due to that illness, he posed a likelihood of serious harm."
Daneil Wathen, chair of the commission, said that it's impossible to know if the tragedy would have happened if police and the Army had done a better job. He also said that police did their best to respond to the tragedy, but noted that there was "utter chaos" when hundreds of police officers poured into the region.
In a letter addressed to Governor Mills that introduced the report, Wathen shed light on some of the broader consequences of the shooting. He wrote, "Every Mainer was touched by what occurred on October 25, 2023. The acts of violence ended and upended our lives, forever changed our communities, and damaged a sense of safety and tranquility that defines what it means to live in Maine. Our investigation and the information and findings set out in this final report are meant to bring truth to the victims' families, to those who were injured, and to the people of our state and nation."
He closed out the letter by saying he hopes their findings will "help the healing process," while at the same time, "enabling the public and policymakers to learn from mistakes." The commission began its work a month after the mass shooting. Over nine months, there were emotional testimonies from family members and survivors of the shooting, law enforcement officials and U.S. Army Reserves personnel, and others.
The commission's public hearings revealed the swift response by police to the shootings, but also the ensuing chaos during the intensive search for the gunman. Card's sister testified at a hearing with her hand resting on his military helmet as she spoke. Kathleen Walker, whose husband, Jason, was killed while rushing at Card to try to stop him said, "The system failed and we can't allow this to happen again."
Family members and fellow reservists said Card had exhibited delusional and paranoid behavior months before the shooting. He was hospitalized by the Army during training in July 2023, but a commanding officer acknowledged to the commission that he didn't check on Card's compliance on follow-up care. Then in September, a fellow reservist texted an Army supervisor saying, "I believe he's going to snap and do a mass shooting."
Army officials conducted their own investigation after the shootings. Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels, the then chief of the Army Reserves, said that the investigation found a "series of failures by unit leadership." Three Army Reserve leaders were disciplined for dereliction of duty. The report noted also noted communication failures within the chain of command and between military and civilian hospitals.
Following the shooting, Maine's legislature passed new gun laws for the state. A three-day waiting period for gun purchases went into effect this month. The commission included Wathen, a former chief justice of Maine's highest court, two former federal prosecutors, two additional former judges, the state's former chief forensic psychologist, and a private psychiatrist.
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