An independent commission created by Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) found “several opportunities” that could have prevented the Oct. 25 shooting, the deadliest in the state.
While a local sheriff’s office had the opportunity to take Card into custody in September 2023 and confiscate his weapons under a yellow flag law, the Army did not adequately share information with police.
The Army also “failed to undertake necessary steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public.”
“His commanding officers were well aware of his auditory hallucinations, increasingly aggressive behavior, collection of guns, and ominous comments about his intentions,” the report states.
“Despite their knowledge, they ignored the strong recommendations of Card’s Army mental health providers to stay engaged with his care.”
The report identifies several warning signs for Card, going back to May 2023 when his family had reported the issues to police and tried to contact the Army Reserves unit he worked in.
On a New York deployment in July 2023, Card also exhibited aggressive behavior, including assaulting one of his friends.
Card was taken to a hospital, where doctors said he struggled with psychosis and paranoia, before an August 2023 release.
Police were tipped off again in September but never arrested him or confiscated his weapons.
The report accuses Capt. Jeremy Reamer, the company commander, of failing to follow the advice of the doctors who oversaw Card in the hospital that summer, including a recommendation to take weapons from his home.
“Reamer failed to follow up with treatment providers, failed to read email messages concerning Card, failed to heed the advice of the providers to ensure the removal of all firearms from Card’s home,” the report reads.
“Card was left to continue in his isolation, disengaged from other unit members or other sources of support.”
Reamer has said publicly and to the commission that he lacked the authority to properly deal with Card because he was a reservist and not a full-time soldier, but the report faulted him for not using the tools at his disposal.
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