(PatriotWise.com) — A US Army Reserve investigation into the circumstances leading up to Reservist Robert Card committing mass murder in Lewiston, Maine, last October determined that the warning signs went unnoticed due to “multiple communications failures.”
According to the investigation, the communications failures were within the chain of command and between the military and civilian hospitals that treated Card in the months before the shooting.
As a result of the probe, three officers in Card’s chain of command were administratively disciplined for “dereliction of duty.”
Army Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Jody Daniels told reporters that the three officers did not follow procedures that would have flagged Card as possibly requiring additional care, such as failing to initiate an investigation following Card’s July 2023 hospitalization.
As early as January last year, Card believed that he could hear people ridiculing him on social media, behind his back, and in his presence. By May, Card’s family reported at least four incidents to a school resource officer, who contacted the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office reported the incidents to Card’s chain of command but his unit still insisted that he participate in the annual reserve training in July.
It was while he was in training and on active-duty status that Card began showing signs that his mental state was deteriorating. His command ordered him to be evaluated at a military hospital nearby, which subsequently transferred him to the Four Winds civilian hospital for more extensive care.
Doctors at Four Winds diagnosed that Card was suffering from a “brief psychotic disorder.” However, after he was released 19 days later, neither Four Winds nor the military hospital notified Card’s chain of command about his discharge or follow-up care.
When a reservist is hospitalized for more than 24 hours, his chain of command must initiate a line-of-duty investigation. Had Card’s command done so, it would have been aware of his condition, the investigation found.
A month before Card killed 18 people at a Lewiston bowling alley and restaurant and then took his own life, a friend in his unit reported to superiors that he feared that Card would commit a mass shooting.
However, since his command had no authority over Card because he was not on active-duty status at the time, leadership in his unit contacted local law enforcement to conduct a wellness check. Two wellness checks were conducted but officers failed to engage with Card.
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