The Maine State Police released a report on Friday describing the lessons learned after the state’s largest mass shooting and making multiple recommendations for improvements in tactical response, incident management, training and other areas.
The agency called the report an “after action review” and said one of its goals was to identify areas for improvement stemming from the response to the Oct. 25, 2023, mass shooting that killed 18 people in Lewiston. One of the primary recommendations is that the state police incorporate new active-shooter training “for a more coordinated response during significant incidents and/or mass casualty incidents,” it states.
The shooting took place at a bowling alley and a bar and grille. The shooter was later revealed to be an Army reservist whose mental health had been deteriorating in the months before the attacks.
Read the full report below:
Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced her support for the primary recommendations included in the state police report and said she will ask the Legislature for funding to fully implement those recommendations as part of her budget request in January.
“I think it is important to acknowledge that we are all at different points – different stages – of healing. Some may still feel frustrated and angry. Some may feel scared. Some may feel grief and sadness, or frozen in time, watching the world move on while they are missing the people they love – a feeling that the last year passed in both the blink of an eye and a lifetime," Mills said in a statement. " I know, I feel all of these things at times, and I want people to know that these feelings are okay. I have found that the best antidote, if you will, to the anger, grief, and fear is love. It is love, compassion, understanding, and support."
“We have lost 18 people – family, friends, loved ones. Many more were injured, both physically and emotionally. In a small, close-knit community like Lewiston and in a small, close-knit state like Maine, most everyone knew somebody who was directly impacted by the tragedy. What is special about Maine – what I have always loved about our state – is that, in the darkest of times, in the depths of our most difficult challenges, we are there for one another. Whatever you are feeling, and however long you feel it, know that you are not alone. Let us all do our part to protect each other, to listen when someone asks for help, and to speak up when something doesn’t feel right. To offer our grace to those who are still grieving and our love to the people of Lewiston.”
The New England State Police Administrators Compact will conduct an independent review of the report, the state police said. The report also details areas in which police met best practice standards, and terms the search for the gunman an “overall success.”
