Maine

Maine mass shooter's family reached out to sheriff 5 months before rampage

The Sagadohoc County Sheriff's Office confirms that months before the shooter killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine, family members told law enforcement months earlier that they were "concerned" about his deteriorating mental health while he had access to firearms

NBC Universal, Inc.

We’re beginning to hear the stories of survivors of the Lewiston mass shootings, some of whom have long recoveries ahead of them.

Five months before the deadliest mass shooting in Maine's history, the gunman's family alerted the sheriff that they were becoming "concerned" about his deteriorating mental health while he had access to firearms, authorities said Monday.

After the alert, the Sagadohoc County Sheriff's Office reached out to officials of Robert Card's Army Reserve unit, which assured deputies that they would speak to him and make sure he got medical attention, Sheriff Joel Merry said.

The family's concern about the killer's mental health dated back to early this year, before the sheriff's office was contacted in May, marking the earliest in a string of interactions that police had with the 40-year-old firearms instructor before he marched into a bowling alley and then a bar in Lewiston last Wednesday, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others.

He was found two days later with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an intensive search spanning two days that caused shelter-in-place orders and put residents on edge.

The shooter underwent a mental health evaluation last summer after he began acting erratically at an Army training facility in New York, officials said. A bulletin sent to police shortly after last week’s attack said he had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks after "hearing voices and threats to shoot up" a military base.

Authorities have not said whether they believe the gunman planned the Oct. 25 rampage in advance. Nearly three months ago, he tried and failed to acquire a device used to quiet gunshots, according to a gun shop owner in Auburn.

We're beginning to hear the stories of survivors of the Lewiston mass shootings, some of whom have long recoveries ahead of them.

Rick LaChapelle, owner of Coastal Defense Firearms, said the killer purchased a suppressor, also called a silencer, online and arranged to pick it up at his shop.

He already had submitted information to the federal government to purchase it, and federal authorities had approved the sale to that point, LaChapelle said.

When the gunman filled out the form at LaChapelle’s gun shop to pick up the silencer Aug. 5, he answered "yes" to the question: "Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?"

Residents of Lewiston return to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn the 18 lives lost in last week's shooting

“As soon as he answered that ‘yes’ we know automatically that this is disqualifying, he’s not getting a silencer today,” LaChapelle said.

Silencers are more heavily regulated under federal law than most firearms. Federal law requires buyers to apply with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and be approved. The typical wait time is between six and eight months, said Mark Collins, federal policy director at the gun-violence prevention group Brady.

Angela Weiss / Getty Images
A sign reading “Lewiston Strong” is displayed in Lewiston, Maine, on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Jess Paquette expresses her support for her city in the wake of Wednesday’s mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine.
Joe Raedle / Getty
Law enforcement officials gather in the road leading to the Bowdoin, Maine home of the suspect being sought in connection with the mass shootings, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
Steven Senne / AP
Maine State Police Col. William Ross, center, appears emotional as he faces reporters while Maine Gov. Janet Mills, left, and Maine Commissioner of Public Safety Mike Sauschuck, right, look on, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, during a news conference at Lewiston City Hall, in Lewiston, Maine.
John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Artist Miia Zellner walks away after nailing hearts she made to trees on Main Street in Lewiston, Maine, the day after mass shootings took place in the city.
Scott Eisen / Getty
A sign on a Starbucks restaurant announces it is temporarily closed as people shelter in place following a mass shooting and subsequent manhunt, on Oct. 26, 2023 in Portland, Maine.
Sofia Aldinio for The Washington Post via Getty
Maria Wilson shows emotion near a reunification center set up at Auburn Middle School on early Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 in Auburn, Maine. Wilson came to the reunification center trying to find out information about a person she knew who was at Schemengees Bar and Grille at the time of the shooting.
Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty
Law enforcement are seen outside the home of suspect Robert Card’s father and brother in Bowdoin, Maine on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
Joe Raedle / Getty
Law Enforcement officials gather near a home as they prepare to search it for the suspect in connection with two mass shootings on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023 in Bowdoin, Maine.
Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty
Heavily armed police search the home of suspect Robert Card’s father and brother in Bowdoin, Maine on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023.
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office / AP
In this image taken from video released by the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office, an unidentified gunman points a gun while entering Sparetime Recreation in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
Lewiston Maine Police Department / AP
This photo released by the Lewiston, Maine, Police Department on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023, shows a vehicle police are seeking information on in connection to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine.
Steven Senne / AP
People depart an emergency department entrance at Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
Fatih Aktas/Anadolu / Getty
A view of the street while police officers close the road as they patrol around the surrounding area, October 26, 2023.
Jessica Rinaldi / The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Law enforcement officials are seen at Lisbon High School early Oct. 26 as a manhunt continues for the suspect in a mass shooting that took place the day prior.
Fatih Aktas/Anadolu / Getty Images
Police officers close the road as they patrol a neighborhood after issuing a warning about an ‘active shooter’ incident, October 26, 2023.
Steven Senne / AP
People depart a reunification center early Thursday, Oct. 26 at Auburn Middle School, in Auburn, Maine, after shootings in Lewiston.
Steven Senne / AP
Law enforcement officers carry rifles outside Central Maine Medical Center during an active shooter situation, in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.
Joseph Prezioso / Getty
Police presence at Schemengees Bar, one of the locations where the Lewiston mass shooting occured, on Thursday, Oct. 26.
John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe via Getty
Heavily armed police boarded armored vehicles at Lisbon High School at daybreak as they search for the mass shooter, Oct. 26.
Robert F. Bukaty / AP
Three vehicles transport bodies from Schemengees Bar and Grille, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The restaurant was the site of one of the two mass shootings in Lewiston on Wednesday.
LEWISTON, ME – OCTOBER 27: A business display a message in Lewiston, Maine, Friday, October 27, 2023. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
LISBON, MAINE – OCTOBER 28: In an aerial view, police vehicles are seen in the area near the Maine Recycling Center building where Robert Card, the suspect in two mass killings, was found dead on October 28, 2023 in Lisbon, Maine. Mr. Card, who had worked at the recycling center, allegedly killed 18 people in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Getty Images
LISBON, ME – OCTOBER 27: Law enforcement members investigate at a site where a body of the suspect Robert Card is found in Lisbon, Maine, Friday, October 27, 2023. Card is believed to be the gunman who killed at least 18 people in Lewiston, Maine. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Getty Images
LEWISTON, MAINE – OCTOBER 27: Governor Janet Mills of Maine is embraced before she announces to the media that Robert Card, the suspect in two mass killings, was found dead on October 27, 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. Mr. Card, who allegedly killed 18 people in a mass shooting at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston was found dead in nearby Lisbon. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 27: A fan holds a “Lewiston Strong” sign after the game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat at TD Garden on October 27, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. A man gunned down 18 people with a semi-automatic rifle in a bowling alley and a bar where locals were enjoying an evening out on October 25 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Schroeder/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 27: The Boston Celtics players wear “Maine” shirts during the National Anthem at TD Garden on October 27, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. A man gunned down 18 people with a semi-automatic rifle in a bowling alley and a bar where locals were enjoying an evening out on October 25 2023 in Lewiston, Maine. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Schroeder/Getty Images)

After the bureau approves the application, the silencer is sent to a licensed firearm dealer, where the buyer is required to fill out another form required for any firearm purchase. The dealer then has to run a background check.

That form asks questions similar to the paperwork required to buy a gun. In the killer's case, he likely would have completed the original federal paperwork months before he was committed to the mental health facility in July.

LaChapelle said he does not know when the shooter made the online purchase.

He said the man was polite when notified of the denial, mentioned something about the military and said he would "come right back" after consulting his lawyer.

Investigators are facing increasing public scrutiny and still searching for a motive for the massacre but have increasingly focused on the killer's mental health history.

Police across Maine were alerted just last month to the "veiled threats" by the U.S. Army reservist. Two local law enforcement chiefs told The Associated Press that a statewide awareness alert was sent in mid-September to be on the lookout for him after he made threats against his base and fellow soldiers. But ultimately, after a visit to his home, police moved on.

The Army directed that he "should not have a weapon, handle ammunition, and not participate in live fire activity," according to Lt. Col. Ruth Castro, an Army spokesperson.

The future gunman was also declared "non-deployable due to concerns over his well-being," and his company commander was notified of the restrictions, Castro said in a written statement, adding that the Army Reserve Command Surgeon Office and medical management made multiple attempts to contact him.

The Army did not respond to questions about when those contacts were made.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills spoke Monday to provide updates on the investigation into the Lewiston mass shootings.

On Monday, Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, held a news conference to provide an update on the response to the shooting. The conference turned contentious quickly when Mills declined to provide information about what the investigation has turned up so far.

Mills said state lawmakers would revisit Maine gun control laws. Proposals for tighter laws have stalled or failed in recent legislative sessions.

"I'm not going to stand here today and tell you I'm proposing X, Y and Z," she said. "I'm here to listen, work with others and get people around the table as promptly as possible."

The killer's body was found late Friday in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls, but it was unclear when he died.

Authorities recovered a multitude of weapons while searching for the gunman and believe he had legally purchased them, including a Ruger SFAR rifle found in his car, officials said Monday. A Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifle and Smith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber handgun were with his body.

A former recycling facility manager in Lisbon says he told the FBI about an overflow parking lot, where they eventually found the body of Robert Card.

Residents of Lewiston returned to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in the shootings. More than 1,000 people attended Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul for a vigil in Lewiston. Some put their heads in their hands as the names of the people who died in Wednesday's shooting were read. Others quietly wept.

Hundreds more watched a livestream of the vigil shown on a huge screen in front of the church. Some held American flags, and others had lit candles in cups marked with the names of the dead and injured.

Meanwhile, Lewiston was slowly reopening. Lewiston Public Schools released a limited schedule for the week "with room for reflection as we move forward." Only the staff was returning Monday; students were due back Tuesday.

The deadliest shooting in Maine's history stunned a state of 1.3 million people that has relatively little violent crime and only 29 killings in all of 2022.

The Lewiston shootings were the 36th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by the AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. The database includes every mass killing since 2006 from all weapons in which four or more people, excluding the offender, were killed within a 24-hour time frame.

Four of the victims killed Wednesday in Lewiston were playing in a deaf cornhole league at the time of the shootings.

Whittle reported from Portland. Associated Press journalists David R. Martin and Matt Rourke in Lewiston, Maine, Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington, D.C., Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Bernard Condon in New York and Michael Casey in Boston contributed.

Copyright The Associated Press
Exit mobile version