Survivors and family members of victims of the deadliest ever shooting in Maine have begun the process of suing the Army and an Army hospital for missed warnings, attorneys announced Tuesday.
The notices of claim say the Army was aware of the reservist’s mental health decline, and ignored warning signs including that the reservist was paranoid, delusional and had a “hit list.”
Eighteen people were killed and 13 people injured when the 40-year-old Army Reservist Robert Card opened fire at two locations on Oct. 25, 2023.
Both a bowling alley and a cornhole league hosted by a bar and grill were places he had frequented.
Gun safety supporters attend a gun safety rally at the State House in Augusta, Maine on Jan. 3, 2024. Survivors and victim’s family members are suing the army for missed warning signs in the deadly mass shooting by Robert Card in Lewiston, Maine last year.
Joseph Prezioso / AFP/Getty Images
Card was found dead two days later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“It is difficult to conceive of a case in which Army personnel could have more warning signs and opportunities to intervene to prevent a service member from committing a mass shooting than what happened in the case of Army Reservist Robert Card,” lawyers wrote in their notices mailed Friday.
The notices of claim by four law firms are a formal step which begins the legal process in suing the federal government.
The Army will have six months to determine whether to respond, after which a lawsuit may be filed.
An independent commission appointed by Maine’s governor concluded that there were ample opportunities to intervene by both civilian law enforcement and the Army.
Lawyers for victims and family members are not currently raising action against the private hospital that treated Card or civilian law enforcement.
The Department of Defense, U.S. Army and Army Keller Hospital “broke its promises, failed to act reasonably, violated its own polices and procedures and disregarded directives and orders,” the claim said.
In September 2023, Card threatened to “shoot up” an armory and his friend warned of “a mass shooting.”
The Army requested law enforcement officers perform a welfare check but failed to pass on a critical recommendation from two doctors recommending that Card not have access to weapons.
Card’s commanding officer downplayed the threat by undercutting the credibility of the soldier who issued the warning. He also did not share all information he had, the claims said.
“As terrible as the shooting was it’s even more tragic that there were many opportunities to prevent this and they were not taken,” said Cynthia Young, whose husband William and 14-year-old son Aaron were killed at the bowling alley.
She said in a statement that the pain and trauma never goes away.
“Mass shootings, like what happened in Lewiston, are an epidemic in America. Consequently, those in positions of responsibility and authority are required to appreciate the warning signs and behaviors that telegraph the risk of mass violence, take them seriously, and act to prevent their occurrence,” the claims said.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press
