Survivors, relatives of dead in Maine's worst mass shooting take first step toward suing the Army
CBSOCT 12 2024
100 survivors and families of the victims of the 2023 Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting are preparing to sue the US Army on claims that it was negligent and failed to prevent former Army Reservist Robert Card from committing the shooting.
The plaintiffs claim that despite knowing about Robert Card's paranoia, delusions, and homicidal ideations, as well as his "hit list" of targets, the Army chose not to intervene, thus allowing him to kill 18 people and injure 13 others.
They also claim that despite knowing Card threatened to "shoot up" an armory in the month before the shooting, the Army chose to conceal recommendations from doctors that he not be allowed to access firearms. While he was prohibited from having guns while on duty, he still had them at home.
Since this was a preventable shooting and the Army has yet to take full responsibility, the victims have been forced to take this matter to court. It's remarkable that even after the Army's own investigation found procedural errors in how they dealt with Card, they're now trying to flip it around and claim they followed protocols to a tee. From the Army hospital to Card's own unit, everyone involved must be held accountable.
While the US Army must be held to the highest standards, it's important to remember that it's made up of American citizens just like any community. Military leadership cares as much as anyone about finding closure and justice for the victims, which is why the Army will be introducing new mental health care, oversight, and training protocols so that nothing like this ever happens again.
There are too many holes in this story for us not to ask some daring questions, from the circumstances of Card's suicide to the government's subsequent public relations fiasco. US intelligence agencies have a history of conducting psychological operations on Americans to create events that lead to more government control, so while this could be a case of a lone, mentally ill man going crazy, there could also be something more sinister going on.