Lewiston mass shooter Robert Card showed no indication that he wanted to hurt himself or others when he was interviewed by police in July at a military base.
Card was at Camp Smith, an Army National Guard base, with other members of his Army Reserve unit on July 16, 2023. New York State Police were called to the base because Card was acting in a “threatening manner” toward others, according to a report obtained by the Bangor Daily News.
Card and five other people within his Army Reserve unit were interviewed by two New York State Police troopers at the base, about 30 minutes north of New York City. The names of the other Army reservists are redacted in the police report.
The reservists said Card was hearing people “bad mouthing” him behind his back and had been “experiencing a decline in mental health” for the last couple months, per the report. His behavior also meant commanding officers could not do a room inspection.
“We interviewed Card who states that he was fed up with hearing others talk behind his back,” the report said.
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Card also “did not state” to the police that he wanted to hurt himself or other people, according to the report.
The interaction with New York State Police occurred about three months before Card fatally shot 18 people and injured 13 more Oct. 25 at Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille in Lewiston. Much scrutiny has been placed on law enforcement and the Army and whether they could have done more in the months leading up to the shooting to prevent Card from having access to guns.
Card was found dead two days later of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Card was with his Army Reserve unit for training on July 15 when he accused three soldiers of calling him a pedophile and said he would “take care of it.” He also accosted a longtime friend, telling him to stop calling him a pedophile.
New York State Police escorted Card and another person, who were in a personal vehicle, to Keller Army Community Hospital, after Card’s commanding officer “initiated a command directive” for a mental health evaluation, the report said. Card went voluntarily, police said previously.
Card was at Four Winds Hospital the next day, but it’s unclear how he ended up there, an Army spokesperson said previously. Card stayed at the psychiatric hospital for about two weeks before he returned to Maine on Aug. 3.
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After his return to Maine, the Army said Card should “not have a weapon, handle ammunition or participate in live-fire activity,” part of a standard Army practice to restrict soldiers’ access to weapons for at least 30 days after inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.
Army Reserve First Sergeant Kelvin Mote, who is also an Ellsworth police officer, told the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office about the interaction when he requested a welfare check on Card in September.
No additional details about how long the Army prohibited Card from possessing military weapons are available because of ongoing investigations, the Army said.