Robert Card Shared No Threats To Hurt Others 3 Months Before Lewiston Shooting, NY Police Report Says

Lewiston killer Robert Card showed no signs that he intended to harm himself or others when police interviewed him at a military base in July.

On July 16, 2023, Card was stationed at Camp Smith National Guard Base with members of other Army Reserve units. The New York State Police base was called because Card was “making threats” with another person, according to a report obtained by the Bangor Daily News.

Card and five other military reservists were interviewed by two New York State Police officers at the base, about 30 minutes north of New York. The names of the remaining reserves were redacted in the police report.

Reservists said Card heard people "cussing" behind his back and had suffered a "decline in mental health" in recent months, according to the report. His behavior also meant that the command was unable to carry out an inspection of the premises.

"We interviewed Carta, and he admitted that he was tired of hearing other people talk about him behind his back," the report said.

Card also did not indicate to police that he intended to harm himself or anyone else, the report said.

The interaction with New York State Police occurred about three months before Card shot and killed 18 people and wounded 13 others on Oct. 25 at the Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar in Lewiston. Law enforcement and the military spent months figuring out what could be done to get Card away from the guns before the shooting.

Two days later, Card was found dead, apparently from a gunshot wound to the head.

On July 15, Card was accused of calling three soldiers training with an Army Reserve unit a pederast and telling them he would "take care of him." He also contacted his old friend and asked him to stop calling him a pederast.

New York State Police escorted Card and another person in a private vehicle to Keller Army Hospital after Card's commanding officer "initiated a warrant" for a mental health evaluation, the report said. Police earlier said the card was voluntarily lost.

The next day, Card was at Four Winds Hospital, but it was unclear how he got there, a Navy spokesman said earlier. Card remained in a mental hospital for about two weeks before returning to Maine on August 3.

After returning to Maine, the Army said Card "must not possess a weapon, handle ammunition or fire live fire," the Army's plan to limit soldiers' access to weapons after they spend at least 30 days in a spent time in a mental hospital. . .

Army Reserve First Sergeant Calvin Mott, also an Ellsworth police officer, reported the interaction to the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office when he requested a welfare check on Card in September.

No further information was available on how long the military would bar Cardi from possessing assault weapons because of the ongoing investigation, the military said.

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