New documents obtained and published by The Boston Globe suggest that the U.S. Army Reserve feared in September that Richard Card, the gunman behind the Lewiston, Maine massacre, might commit a mass shooting.
The Maine National Guard was aware that Card had been having “psychotic episodes” in which he was hearing voices that were insulting him and calling him a pedophile, according to warning letter sent to the Sagadahoc Sheriff’s Department detailing a well-being check on Card on Sept. 15.
Card’s episodes started in the spring and progressively got worse, according to the document.
The situation escalated on July 15 when Card punched a fellow army reservist referred to as Hodgson, after accusing Hodgson of calling him a pedophile.
Card then told Hodgson that he had guns and was “going to shoot up the drill center at Saco and other places,” the letter asserted. This led Hodgson to believe that Card was “going to snap and commit a mass shooting,” the document continued.
Other well-being checks were conducted on Sept. 16 and 17. During the second visit, law enforcement was aware that Card was in possession of his brother Ryan Card’s guns. Ryan Card told officials that he was working on moving the guns and ensure that his brother did not have access to them.
According to the letter, Card spent 14 days at Four Winds Psychiatric Hospital in Katonah, New York. Officials did not believe Card sought more treatment after he was released, according to the document.
On Wednesday, Oct. 25, gunfire erupted at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, that killed 18 people and injured 13.
Maine State Police, local law enforcement and the FBI searched for Card until Friday night, when he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his former workplace at the Maine Recycling Corporation in nearby Lisbon.
The Department of Public Safety released information about Card’s criminal history on Monday night, revealing that his only charge was on April 14, 2007, when he was charged with operating under the influence by the Topsham Police Department in Maine, according to the document.
Card was found guilty on May 15, 2007 and was fined $500, incarcerated for 48 hours and had his license suspended for 90 days.
The firearms Card had with him when his body was found and those found in his vehicle were also named by the Department of Public Safety Monday.
Police found a Rugar SFAR rifle in his car. When his body was found, he had a Smith & Wesson M&P .40 caliber handgun and a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle.
“Forensic and ballistic testing still needs to be conducted to confirm whether these gun were used in the crimes,” the Department of Public Safety said.
The department also said that the locations where the massacre happened, Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grille, have been processed by authorities and turned back to their respective owners.
“At this time both buildings are in the process of being cleaned and personal property returned,” the department added.
