Lewiston Investigation’s Report Cites Failures From Police, Army

The Independent Commission that's been looking into the mass shooting in Lewiston has released its final report which cites several failures.

18 People Died in the Mass Shooting in Lewiston

It was on October 25th, 2023 when Robert Card walked into the Just in Time Recreation bowling alley and fatally shot 8 people, wounding several others. He then went to Schemengee's Bar and killed 10 others. The result was that 18 people were killed and 13 others were injured in the attack. Card's body was found 49 hours later, on October 27th. He had committed suicide in a trailer located in the parking lot of a business where he'd once worked.

The Independent Commission Says More Should Have Been Done Before the Shooting

In a media conference on Tuesday morning, the Honorable Daniel E. Wathen gave an overview of the findings of the Commission detailed in their final report. The report released on Tuesday cited some inadequacies from several agencies in the days leading up to the shooting that they felt may have changed the outcome.

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Wathen talked about several instances where others could have intervened which may, or may not, have changed the outcome. For one, the Commission found the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office could have taken steps to institute Maine's Yellow Flag Law and confiscated Card's firearms.

In addition, Wathen said, the Army Reserve did not share with law enforcement all it knew about Card's mental health, including the fact that he was allegedly hearing voices. Again, military leaders from his Reserve unit could have taken steps to remove his firearms or encouraged the Sheriff's Office to do so. Wathen said if the Army Reserve Officers had told law enforcement what they knew, then perhaps the Sheriff's Office would have moved faster.

They Encourage Maine State Police to Look Into the Law Enforcement Response

In closing, Wathen said the Commission strongly suggests that the Maine State Police look into the law enforcement response immediately following the shooting, calling it "chaos." The full final report from the Independent Commission can be found here.