The family of the Maine mass shooter warned police five months before he killed 18 people that he was armed and dangerous.
It was the earliest in a series of warnings against 40-year-old Robert Card before his rampage through a bowling alley and bar in the town of Lewiston on Wednesday.
The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office released a more detailed timeline of previous warnings to law enforcement on Monday. Sheriff Joel Merry said his office was contacted by Card’s family on May 3.
They raised concerns that he had heard voices and had access to an extensive cache of firearms on the family farm.
One of the survivors described how Card was “relaxed and methodical” as he aimed his green laser sight at the bowling alley victims.
Five months before he killed 18 people, the family of mass shooter Robert Card of Lewiston, Maine, warned local authorities about his deteriorating mental state and his stockpile of firearms
Danielle Grondin, who survived the attacks, said that although he seemed frighteningly cool and calm, he didn’t seem to know exactly who he was going to shoot
Danielle Grondin said he targeted his victims randomly – pausing only occasionally when his gun was jammed, releasing his gun and then continuing to shoot.
“I didn’t feel like he had any goals,” Grondin said. “My opinion is that he saw someone moving and fired.”
It was a busy night as Card carried out the shootout, which initially took place at a local bowling alley.
“We were in lane 10 and there were four full lanes on the other side,” she told the Bangor Daily News. “There were at least three leagues playing there that night.”
She added that she honestly thought he had brought a paintball gun into the alley.
“I had just sat down and put my glasses on the table and I heard two balloons pop,” Grondin said. “I’m so embarrassed to say my first thought was, ‘Who brought a paintball gun here?’
Grondin says the closest Card to her was about 20 feet away, but that was enough to see the sights of his gun.
“I saw the light – I can’t say if it was green or blue, but I saw it was pointing in our direction,” she said. “I froze – not in fear, but in confusion.”
Grondin credited her boyfriend, Shawn Chabot, who has Air Force tactical and counterterrorism training, with getting her out alive.
“He used his training,” Grondin said simply. “He told me it was his job to keep me safe.”
After an intensive two-day search that angered residents, Card was found dead after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot.
The local sheriff’s office announced Monday that Card had managed to evade detection by police, the FBI and the government despite numerous reports emerging over a nearly seven-month period about his mental health and weapons skills.
Five months before he would carry out the deadliest mass shooting in state history, Card’s family warned local officials that he was hearing voices.
In July he spent 14 days in a psychiatric hospital before being released.
Grondin says the closest Card to her was about 20 feet away, but that was enough to see the sights of his gun
Card’s body was found in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls late Friday after the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history, but it was unclear when he died
Grondin said she honestly thought he had brought a paintball gun into the alley
A video screen will be set up on Sunday ahead of a vigil for the victims of Wednesday’s mass shooting
Officials said Card underwent a mental health evaluation last summer after he accused soldiers of calling him a pedophile, pushing one and locking himself in his room during training in New York.
A bulletin sent to police shortly after the attack last week said Card had been admitted to a mental health facility for two weeks after “hearing voices and threats to attack a military base.”
On September 15, at the request of the reserve unit, a sheriff’s deputy was sent to Card’s home for a wellness check after a soldier said he was afraid Card would “snap out and do a mass shooting” because he was hearing voices again.
The deputy went to Card’s trailer but couldn’t find him – even during a return visit the next day. The sheriff’s department then sent out a statewide alert warning that he was known to be “armed and dangerous” and that officers should use extreme caution to get help finding Card.
At that point, Card’s reserve unit was so concerned that it decided to take away his military-issued firearms, according to the sheriff’s office.
Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ruth Castro confirmed the report, adding that Card was also declared “not operational” and that multiple attempts were made to contact him.
Robert Card, 40, shot and killed 18 people at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine, on October 25. His colleagues reported him to the police over a month ago, fearing he would “freak out” and carry out a mass shooting
The search for Card involved several hundred police officers and lasted three days. His body was eventually found in a dumpster
People gather for a vigil for the victims of Wednesday’s mass shooting
According to the deputy’s report, after his visit to Card’s home, he contacted the reserve unit commander, who assured him that the Army was seeking treatment for Card.
The commander also said he thought it best to give Card some time to himself.
The deputy then turned to Card’s brother. The brother said he stored Card’s firearms in a gun safe on the family farm and would work with their father to move the guns to another location and ensure Card could not get other firearms.
Authorities seized a variety of weapons while searching for Card after the shooting and believe he purchased them legally, including a Ruger SFAR rifle found in his car, officials said Monday. On his body was a Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifle and a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson M&P handgun.
Authorities have not said whether they believe Card planned the Oct. 25 rampage in advance. Nearly three months ago, he tried in vain to purchase a device to silence gunshots, said an Auburn gun store owner.
Rick LaChapelle, owner of Coastal Defense Firearms, said Card purchased a silencer, also called a silencer, online and arranged to pick it up at his store.
Card had already submitted information about the purchase to the federal government and federal regulators had approved the sale by that point, he said.
When Card filled out the form to pick up the silencer at LaChapelle’s gun shop on August 5, he answered “yes” to the question: “Have you ever been judged mentally retarded OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?”
“Once he answers ‘yes,’ we automatically know this is a disqualification, he’s not getting a silencer today,” LaChapelle said.
Bill Brackett, whose son Billy was killed in the mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille, speaks in front of a makeshift memorial during an interview
Police visited both the military base where gunman Robert Card worked as a weapons instructor and his pictured home, but found no trace of him – and then moved on
Maine police were alerted to the shooter’s threats weeks ago and even paid a visit to shooter Robert Card’s home but were unable to find him. In the picture, police officers can be seen during a manhunt after the mass shooting
Silencers are subject to stricter federal laws than most firearms. Federal law requires buyers to apply and obtain a permit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The dealer must also conduct a background check.
He said Card was polite when informed of the denial, mentioned something about the military and said he would “get back immediately” after consulting with his attorney.
Facing increasing public scrutiny, investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre, but have increasingly focused on Card’s mental health history.
On Monday, Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, held a news conference to provide an update on the response to the shooting. The conference quickly became controversial when Mills refused to provide information about what the investigation had revealed so far.
Mills said state lawmakers would reconsider Maine’s gun control laws. Proposals for stricter laws have stalled or failed in recent legislative sessions.
“I’m not going to stand here today and tell you that I’m proposing X, Y and Z,” she said. “I’m here to listen, collaborate and bring people to the table as quickly as possible.”
Lewiston residents returned to work Monday, the morning after gathering to mourn the shooting victims. More than 1,000 people attended the Basilica of St. Peter and Paul for a vigil in Lewiston.
The deadliest shooting in Maine’s history stunned a state of 1.3 million people that saw relatively little violent crime and just 29 murders in all of 2022.