A hundred survivors and family members of victims of the Lewiston mass shooting, the deadliest mass shooting in Maine’s history, announced Tuesday, October 15, their intent to sue significant elements of the U.S. government’s military.
They allege “negligence in failing to respond” to multiple warning signs displayed by the Army Reserve Sgt. Robert Card, who took 18 lives during his 2023 rampage. Here’s everything we know about the pending lawsuit and the reason behind it.
Why Lewiston Mass Shooting Victims Allege Negligence
The group, made up of survivors and families of the victims of the Lewiston mass shooting, has sent notices to the Department of Defense, the Army, and Keller Army Community Hospital in West Point, New York, where the suspected shooter was taken for a psychiatric evaluation in the summer of 2023.
The notices stated their intent to sue and cited documented indications of “Card’s precipitous decline,” according to attorneys for the group. One legal notice claimed the Department of Defense, the Army, the military hospital, and its employees “broke its promises, failed to act reasonably, violated its own policies and procedures, and disregarded directives and orders, including those of Card’s treating medical providers.”
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The notice added that the military entities did not “protect and defend the people of Lewiston, Maine, from a solider who displayed warning signs of mental illness and specifically expressed intent to commit mass violence.”
“The United States and its personnel owed a duty to safeguard and protect the community, including but not limited to the Claimants,” the legal notice said. “The United States and its personnel breached that duty and were negligent.” The group’s attorneys say they will file suit if the federal government fails to investigate the claims within six months.
Details of the Mass Shooting in Lewiston
The Lewiston mass shooting happened on October 25, 2023. Lewiston Police said the shooting took place at Schemengees Bar and Grille and Just-In-Time Recreation, a bowling alley. Several parents and children were at Just-In-Time as part of a children’s bowling league.
The shooting was the 36th mass killing in the United States that year. After it happened, a manhunt for 40-year-old Robert Card began and lasted two days before he was found dead by a river in Lisbon, Maine.
He had died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Several investigations have since been launched, including ones by an independent commission and the Army. The investigations pointed to numerous breakdowns in the Army’s chain of command and a lack of communication with other authorities.
This left the concerning signals that Card was sending and the potential threat he posed without sufficient address. It has been nearly a year later since the massacre. Now, equipped with the results of those investigations, victims’ families and survivors of the Lewiston mass shooting are demanding accountability.
Meet the Lewiston, Maine Mass Shooter
The man behind the Lewiston mass shooting is none other than Army Reserve Sgt. Robert Card. Police took him for an evaluation after military officials became concerned that he was acting erratically in mid-July 2023.
The New York Army National Guard said the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment, grew concerned about Card’s behavior while the unit was training at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York.
According to Card’s relatives, he had discussed hearing voices and became more focused on the bowling alley and bar in Lewiston not long before the shooting. He also has a history of mental illness, but there was no evidence that he had ever been involuntarily committed.
“Just because there appears to be a mental health nexus to this scenario, the vast majority of people with mental health diagnosis will never hurt anybody,” Department of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Sauschuck said.
As for how or why Card chose his targets, Sauschuck chalked it up to paranoia, which made him think people were talking about him. He also said that a note found in Card’s home was meant for a loved one as it had the passcode to his phone and bank account numbers. While Sauschuck refused to describe it as an explicit suicide note, its tone indicated that was the intent.
Who Are the Lewiston Maine Mass Shooting Victims?
Eighteen people died in the Lewiston mass shooting that took place on October 25, 2023. According to Maine State Police, seven people, six males, and one female, died at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley. Eight more people, all male, were killed by Card at Schemengees Bar and Grille. Three others died after being taken to hospitals.
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The deceased ranged in age from 14 to 76. A teen bowler, a shipbuilder, and a sign language interpreter were among the dead. Sauschuck named all 18 victims at a news conference after the shooting and said their families had been notified. Photos of the victims were posted on a board as he read the names, and a moment of silence followed.
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