Maine police chief says leaks hamper search for Lewiston mass murderer

LEWISTON, Maine – The chief of the Maine State Police on Friday outlined the various challenges associated with responding to the mass shooting in Lewiston, the deadliest shooting in state history.

Lt. Col. William Ross appeared at Lewiston City Hall to testify again before the commission convened by Gov. Janet Mills following the incident in which Robert Card II, an Army reservist from Bowdoin, killed 18 people and injured 13 at a Lewiston bowling alley and bar on Oct. 25. It was the nation's deadliest mass shooting of 2023.

Several senior state police officials who first testified in February later testified before the commission Friday. The first part included testimony from Ross that offered little new detail other than elaborating on certain issues.

After 12 public meetings, it is relatively unlikely that there will be any new or dramatic revelations. At the same time, the commission is close to submitting its final report by summer. In addition, the results of the Army Reserve's internal investigation and the Army Inspector General's independent investigation into the Lewiston shooting are expected in the coming weeks.

In their initial testimony in February, Ross and Maine State Police leaders detailed the various challenges associated with the 48-hour manhunt for Card, which involved more than 350 local, state and federal law enforcement officers and ended when police found Card, 40, dead in a trailer next to the Lisbon recycling center where he had previously worked. He was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

On Friday, Ross explained to the commissioners the timeline of the response and manhunt – from the first social media post by the Maine State Police about a shooting spree on October 25th around 8 p.m. to the discovery of Card's body on the evening of October 27th – and answered questions about communication and tips.

The state police chief reiterated that in the hours after the shooting, an unidentified person leaked a bulletin on Facebook distributed only to law enforcement that mentioned Card and called him “armed and dangerous.”

Police were never able to identify the source of the leak due to higher priorities. Another leak involved Card, who left a note in his Bowdoin apartment. Ross said a “better solution” was needed to stop leaks.

Ross added that nearly 800 tips were received during the search for Card, along with a “high volume” of calls to local authorities about possible sightings. One caller reported a Card lookalike in Rumford, while other informants claimed he had been in Massachusetts or Canada. Police and dive teams responded after Card's Subaru was found at a boat ramp in Lisbon hours after the shooting.

“Once you start speculating and working with the assumption that he's dead somewhere or definitely in the water … that's when you start making mistakes,” Ross said.

Last week, Card's family members testified publicly for the first time, saying the shooter's brother had urged police to search the recycling center's trailers sooner. But Ross said the recycling center “wouldn't be at the top of the list” given the flood of information.

Ross stressed that there was “no confusion at the command post” as to which of the state and federal investigators was in charge. But there was criticism of the manhunt, including from a deputy sheriff who called the command posts “complete clowns” in a now-deleted Facebook post and claimed they gave local partners “radio silence” during the search.

Maine State Police Sergeant Greg Roy, the tactical team leader, described positive and negative aspects of the response to the shooting. One problem on Oct. 27 was that it took several phone calls to find out which parts of the Lisbon recycling center grounds police had already searched. Roy said his agency is currently looking into technology that could digitize search locations.

Family and friends had warned police for months about Card's deteriorating mental health and his access to guns. Police had previously said he used a Ruger SFAR rifle he legally purchased in July, shortly before he took part in an Army Reserve training trip in New York and was then hospitalized for about two weeks because of his erratic behavior.

Sheriff's officials tried to reach Card at his home in September by requesting his welfare check after he punched his friend, who had warned Army Reserve superiors that Card might commit mass murder. But Card did not answer the door and was not found until October 25.

The commission released a preliminary report in March faulting the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office for failing to enforce Maine's “yellow flag” law on Card about a month before the shooting. It also criticized Card's Army Reserve commander for failing to inform Sheriff Joel Merry of recommendations from New York mental health facilities to remove Card's weapons from his Bowdoin apartment and ensure he showed up for follow-up medical appointments.

Maine police chief says leaks hamper search for Lewiston mass murderer

You may also like...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Recent Posts

Maine police chief says leaks hamper search for Lewiston mass murderer

You may also like...

No. 24 Baseball Preview: Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship

Paris is trying to boost sluggish sales for the Paralympic Games

Mooresville is repairing a sinkhole site that is leaking coal ash

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Recent Posts