U.S. Army Reserve admits failures prior to Maine mass shooting last year

The U.S. Army Reserve on Tuesday published a report dated March 7 that outlined the institutional failures that preceded reservist Robert Card’s killing of 18 people in a shooting spree last October. CBS 13 WGME on Tuesday obtained a copy of the report. The U.S. Army Reserve disciplined several officers over their responses to warning signs Card was exhibiting before the shooting, according to a press conference on Monday held by Army Reserve officials.

What does the report say, exactly? The U.S. Army Reserve documented ways that leaders interacting with Card failed to take proper action against warning signs that his mental health was deteriorating. The report also documented errors local law enforcement officials made in responding to warnings from others about Card and comments he made. Finally, the report also cataloged ways that Card refused to receive important treatment to address symptoms of paranoia that he was experiencing.

What sorts of struggles was Card experiencing? Card reportedly did not handle alcohol well, according to witnesses cited in the report. After suffering from hearing loss and ordering hearing aids in early 2023, he began to believe that people were calling him gay, a pedophile, and a sexual offender. Eventually, he began answering the door with firearms in hand when acquaintances checked on him.

Meanwhile, local police failed to restrict his access to firearms and did not conduct more thorough welfare check-ins with him, the report found. Additionally, U.S. Army Reserve officials continued to order his appearance for training exercises and other duties. Even so, U.S. military officials did take steps to investigate allegations Card made that people in his Army Reserve unit were spreading lies about him being a pedophile.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s report in The Sift about how a separate report validated local law enforcement’s handling of Card before his mass shooting.