Maine authorities attempted to contact Robert Card six weeks before he shot and killed 18 people when they were alerted to concerns that the Army reservist would “break out and commit a mass shooting,” according to documents obtained by The Post.
A sergeant with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a welfare check on the 40-year-old man after they were told Card lashed out at his family and heard voices accusing him of being a “pedophile,” according to a pair of incident reports.
Officers were unable to locate the man who ultimately shot and killed 18 people at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, sparking a massive manhunt that ended in Card’s apparent suicide.
Family members were among the first to sound the alarm about Card’s erratic behavior, and his brother even told police he would work to get Card’s guns away.
The U.S. Army wrote in a letter to the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office that a fellow soldier was “concerned that Card was going to explode and commit a mass shooting,” according to an incident report filed by the sheriff’s office in mid-September. September.
Maine authorities tried to contact Robert Card six weeks before he shot and killed 18 people.AP
The soldier, identified only as SSG Hodgson, expressed concern after Card punched him while the two were driving home from a casino.
“Card started talking about people calling him a pedophile again,” the Army letter states.
“When Hodgson told him to stop because he was going to get in trouble talking about shooting places and people, Card punched him.
“Hodgson was able to get out of the car and return home under his own power. According to Hodgson, Card said that he has weapons and that he is going to shoot at the Saco drilling center and other places.”
Police were alerted to concerns that the Army reservist would explode and commit a mass shooting. AP A sergeant with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office attempted to conduct a welfare check on the 40-year-old man after they were told Card attacked his family. Post illustration
Card was previously committed to Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Westchester County, New York, for treatment after accusing other soldiers of calling him a pedophile and that “he would take care of it” while a group of them were in New York, the army letter states. .
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“During the four hours I was with Card, he never spoke, he just stared at me without blinking,” the letter says. “He spent 14 days in Four Winds and was then released. To my knowledge, he has not sought further treatment since he was released.”
Members of the Sagadahoc and Kennebec sheriff’s offices attempted to speak with Card during the welfare check on Sept. 16, but he did not respond even though he appeared to be home, the document states. Law enforcement and the military knew Card was a competent marksman and caution was required when attempting to contact him, doctors say.
Card’s brother also told authorities at one point that Card usually comes to the door with a gun in his hand, but out of sight, according to the report.
The US Army told CNN that Card’s unit requested the health and welfare check “out of an abundance of caution after the unit became concerned for his safety,” although it declined to provide more information due to an investigation. of the Army in progress.
Another incident report filed by the Sagadahoc Sheriff’s Office in May describes how Card’s family, including his son and ex-wife, noticed he was suffering from mental issues as early as January.
Card became violent at home and allegedly began hearing voices. Robert Miller Law enforcement officers gather outside Schemengees Bar and Grille after a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 27, 2023. AP
His ex-wife also told police that her ex-husband recently collected between 10 and 15 handguns and rifles that used to be stored at his brother’s home, according to the document.
“…the guns are stored in Robert’s room, but he added that he may have one in his truck,” the report says, and Card’s son also tells police he is “concerned that his father has them.” “.
But according to the September incident report, Card’s brother told officials that he and his father would work to make sure Robert “does not have access to any firearms.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn