The commanding officer of an Army reservist responsible for the deadliest shooting in Maine history acknowledged to an independent commission on Thursday that he didn’t get deeply involved in the reservist’s medical care after he was discharged from a psychiatric hospital.
Capt. Jeremy Reamer said he understood that the shooter, Robert Card, was suffering from a psychiatric breakdown during training last summer but said he was limited in the level of oversight he could provide after Card returned home and was not actively participating in drills with his Army Reserve unit. More aggressive actions and oversight would have been possible if Card had been a full-time soldier, Reamer said.
Commissioner Toby Dilworth, a former federal prosecutor, grilled Reamer about why he didn't follow through with someone under his command, including by making sure the shooter attended counseling sessions. At one point, Reamer said an email problem prevented him from seeing a July message pertaining to the gunman's health until after the Oct. 25 shootings.
Reamer, who gave up control of the Maine-based unit after a routine change of command in February, also defended his decision to rely on a subordinate, an Army reservist who was the Lewiston shooter's best friend, to serve as a go-between with his family. The reservist, Sean Hodgson, told Reamer that he reached out to the gunman's family in Bowdoin and that family members agreed to take away his guns after he was hospitalized. Reamer said that as an Army Reserve officer, he had no jurisdiction over the shooter's personal guns.
“My understanding was that an agreement was made and the family agreed to remove the weapons from the home," Reamer said. “I just know that the family agreed to remove the firearms," he added later.
Reamer was called back to testify because his previous testimony was cut short. Other witnesses expected to testify on Thursday include survivors of the shooting, the state's former chief medical examiner and witnesses who were slated to discuss American Sign Language communication struggles after the shootings.
Appointed by Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, the independent commission is determining facts around the shooting that claimed 18 lives at a bowling alley and at a bar and grill, both in Lewiston.
In its interim report released last month, the commission concluded that the Sagadahoc County sheriff’s office had probable cause under Maine’s “yellow flag” law to take the shooter into custody and seize his guns because he was experiencing a psychiatric crisis and was a danger to others.
Maine lawmakers are currently debating whether the law, which requires police to initiate the process, should be supplemented with a “red flag” law, which would allow family members or others to directly petition a judge to remove guns from someone in a psychiatric crisis. It’s one of several mental health and gun control measures being considered by the Maine Legislature in response to October's mass shooting.
The commission's work is far from complete, Chairman Dan Wathen said last month.
“Nothing we do can ever change what happened on that terrible day, but knowing the facts can help provide the answers that the victims, their families and the people of Maine need and deserve,” he said.
