100 Lewiston mass shooting survivors and victims' families claim U.S. military negligence

CBS News

Survivors, relatives of dead in Maine's worst mass shooting take first step toward suing the Army

Newsweek

Families of Maine Shooting Victims to Sue Army Over Missed Warnings

A total of 100 survivors and family members of the victims of the October 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.

National Review

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 before killing himself.

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 in his private possession.

The legal filing claims the Army ignored Card's sister, who, in the spring of 2023, called a military crisis line to warn them about her brother's behavior and access to guns. They further allege the Army told the local sheriff's office not to intervene.

Press Herald

This follows two reports from this summer, including an internal military report that found the Army had failed to check in on Card after he was hospitalized for psychiatric care during the months prior to the shooting.

Axios

The legal filing is a notice of intent directed at the Department of Defense, the Army, and the Keller Army Community Hospital in New York. The institutions in question now have six months to respond before an official lawsuit is filed.

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100 survivors and families of the victims of the October 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.

National Review #

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.

The legal filing claims the Army ignored Card's sister, who in the spring of 2023 called a military crisis line to warn them about her brother's behavior and access to guns. They further allege the Army told the local sheriff's office not to intervene.

Press Herald #

This follows two reports from this summer, including an internal military report that found the Army had failed to check in on Card after he was hospitalized for psychiatric care in the months before the shooting.

Axios #

The legal filing is a notice of intent directed at the Department of Defense, the Army, and the Keller Army Community Hospital in New York. The institutions in questions now have six months to respond before an official lawsuit is filed.

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.

Lawyers for Lewiston shooting victims, survivors seek investigation by Pentagon

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.

www.army.mil

Media Roundtable on findings and recommendations from Sgt. 1st Class Robert Card investigation

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.

Ben McCanna/Contributor/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Maine Mass Shooting: Survivors Prepare to Sue US Army

Medicine & healthcare

Military

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 it dealt with Card, it's now trying to flip this around and claim that protocols were followed correctly. 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 the armed forces are 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's a 50% chance that there will be at least 1.4 small firearms per capita in the US in 2029, according to the Metaculus prediction community.

Maine Mass Shooting: Survivors Prepare to Sue US Army

Maine Mass Shooting: Survivors Prepare to Sue US Army

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Metaculus Prediction

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Maine Mass Shooting: Survivors Prepare to Sue US Army

Maine Mass Shooting: Survivors Prepare to Sue US Army

The Spin

Metaculus Prediction

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