Maine mass shooter’s family reached out to sheriff 5 months before rampage, sheriff’s office says

**Maine Shooting** A customer exits a coffee shop, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Residents of Lewiston returned to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in Maine's worst mass shooting. Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre that claimed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct 25 as the community seeks a return to normalcy. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shooting** Commuters make their way into town, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Residents of Lewiston returned to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in Maine's worst mass shooting. Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre that claimed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct 25 as the community seeks a return to normalcy. AP Photo/Matt York)(AP Photo/Matt York)

**APTOPIX Maine Shooting** People gather at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** A video screen is set up ahead of a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**APTOPIX Maine Shooting** People sign "I love you" while gathered at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**APTOPIX Maine Shooting** People sign "I love you" at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shootings** A memorial is displayed in front of Sparetime bowling before day break, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of multiple people at the bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday. The bowling alley was renamed in 2021 to Just-In-Time Recreation. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shooting** People gather at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shootings** A memorial sit in front of Sparetime bowling as a hazmat crew arrives, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of multiple people at the bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday. The bowling alley was renamed in 2021 to Just-In-Time Recreation. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shooting** Pumpkin memorials for those who died in the Lewiston shooting sit in the rain outside Sparetime bowling, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre that claimed multiple lives as the community seeks a return to normalcy. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**APTOPIX Maine Shooting** People linger after a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** Maine Gov. Janet Mills, front left, and Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King attend a vigil for the victims of mass shootings days earlier, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**APTOPIX Maine Shooting** Mourners sign "I love you" at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** People sign "I love you" while gathered at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** Mourners attend a vigil for the victims of the mass shootings days earlier, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Mourners at a vigil look at pictures of the victims of mass shootings days earlier, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Teenagers who went to school with one of the shooting victims in Lewiston, Maine, gather at the Winthrop Grange Hall, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Winthrop, Maine. The small town of Winthrop, just northeast of Lewiston, is working to heal following the shooting deaths of 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shooting** Photos of Aaron Young and his father, William Young, are displayed at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The Youngs, of Winthrop, Maine, were among those killed in the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Sports commentator and Lewiston native Tom Caron hosts a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Mourners pack the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul for a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Mourners attend a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, on Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Mourners embrace at a vigil for the victims of the mass shootings several days earlier, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, speaks with a woman at a vigil for the victims of the mass shootings several days earlier, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, attends a vigil for the victims of the mass shootings several days earlier, at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** People pay their respects at a makeshift memorial outside a bowling alley, the site of one of this week's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. A gunman killed multiple people at the bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** Django, a crisis response dog, enjoys the adoration while helping to bring healing to visitors to a halloween event, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Auburn, Maine. The community is grieving in the wake of mass shootings that killed 18 people Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Costumed visitors dance at a halloween event, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Auburn, Maine. The event helped bring some healing to a community still grieving in the wake of mass shootings that killed 18 people Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** A man pays his respects at a makeshift memorial outside a bowling alley, the site of one of last week's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. A gunman killed multiple people at the bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** A person pays her respects at a makeshift memorial outside a bowling alley, the site of one of this week's mass shootings, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. A gunman killed multiple people at the bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** A man photographs a make-shift memorial at the base of the Lewiston sign at Veteran's Memorial Park, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shooting** A man walks past a "Lewiston Strong" sign, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shooting** Leroy Walker, a popular city councilor, is hugged by Donna Deletetsky at a halloween event, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Auburn, Maine. Walker's son, Joseph Walker, was killed in a mass shooting while working at Schemengees Bar and Grill, Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Costumed visitors attend at a halloween event, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Auburn, Maine. The event helped bring some healing to a community still grieving in the wake of mass shootings that killed 18 people Wednesday night in Lewiston, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Crime scene tape still surrounds Schemengees Bar & Grille, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following mass shootings at the bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** A hazmat team cleans steps leading into Schemengees Bar & Grille, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following mass shootings at the bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** Dave Madore, his wife Jody, back, and their daughter Cadence, walk by Schemengees Bar & Grille, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following mass shootings at the bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

**Maine Shooting** Sofie Fallon and her mother, Mary Fallon, listen to the sermon during mass at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shooting** Worshippers pray during a service at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 25. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

**Maine Shootings** A hazmat team works inside Schemengees Bar & Grille, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at the bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shootings** A man crosses over the Androscoggin River at dawn, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday. Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shootings** Crime scene tape still surrounds Schemengees Bar & Grille, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at the bar and a bowling alley in Lewiston on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shootings** A man crosses the street early, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. The community is working to heal following shooting deaths of 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday. Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023, (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shooting** Rick LaChapelle speaks during an interview at his store in Brunswick, Maine, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023. LaChapelle discussed his staff declining to release a gun suppressor in August to Robert Card, the man authorities have identified as the gunman in the shooting that left 18 dead in Lewiston. (AP Photo/Jake Bleiberg)

**Maine Shooting** FILE - Rick LaChapelle, owner of Coastal Trading and Pawn, is seen at the counter of his gun shop in Auburn, Maine, in this July 18, 2022, file photo. LaChapelle's staff declined to release a gun suppressor in August to Robert Card, the man authorities have identified as the gunman in the shooting that left 18 dead in Lewiston. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, files)

**Maine Shooting** A man walks along a street, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Residents of Lewiston returned to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in Maine's worst mass shooting. Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre that claimed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct 25 as the community seeks a return to normalcy. (AP Photo/Matt York)

**Maine Shooting** A man crosses the street, Monday, Oct. 30, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Residents of Lewiston returned to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in Maine's worst mass shooting. Investigators are still searching for a motive for the massacre that claimed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct 25 as the community seeks a return to normalcy. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Five months before the deadliest mass shooting in Maine’s history, the gunman’s family alerted the local sheriff that they were becoming concerned about his deteriorating mental health while he had access to firearms, authorities said Monday.

After the alert, the Sagadohoc County Sheriff’s Office reached out to officials of Robert Card’s Army Reserve unit, which assured deputies that they would speak to Card and make sure he got medical attention, Sheriff Joel Merry said.

The family’s concern about Card’s mental health dated back to early this year before the sheriff’s office was contacted in May, marking the earliest in a string of interactions that police had with the 40-year-old firearms instructor before he marched into a Lewiston bowling alley and a bar last Wednesday, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others.

After an intensive two-day search that put residents on edge, he was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Card underwent a mental health evaluation last summer after accusing soldiers of calling him a pedophile, shoving one and locking himself in his room during training in New York, officials said. A bulletin sent to police shortly after last week’s attack said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks after “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military base.

Documents released from the sheriff on Monday gave the most detailed timeline yet of other warning signs and failed efforts to stop the gunman months before he killed.

On Sept. 15, a sheriff’s deputy was sent to visit Card’s home for a wellness check at the request of the reserve unit after a soldier said he was afraid Card was “going to snap and commit a mass shooting” because he was hearing voices again. The deputy went to Card’s trailer but could not find him — nor the next day on a return visit. The sheriff’s department then sent out a statewide alert for help locating Card with a warning that he was known to be “armed and dangerous” and that officers should use extreme caution.

By this time, Card’s reserve unit had grown sufficiently concerned that it had decided to take away his military-issued firearms, the sheriff’s office was told. Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro confirmed that account, adding that Card was also declared “non-deployable” and that multiple attempts were made to contact him.

According to the deputy’s report after visiting Card’s home, he reached out to the reserves’ unit commander who assured him the Army was trying to get treatment for Card. The commander also said he thought “it best to let Card have time to himself for a bit.”

The deputy then reached out to Card’s brother. The brother said he had put Card’s firearms in a gun safe in the family farm and would work with their father to move the guns somewhere else and make sure Card couldn’t get other firearms.

Authorities recovered a multitude of weapons while searching for Card after the shooting and believe he had legally purchased them, including a Ruger SFAR rifle found in his car, officials said Monday. A Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifle and Smith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber handgun were with his body.

Authorities have not said whether they believe Card planned the Oct. 25 rampage in advance. Nearly three months ago, he tried and failed to acquire a device used to quiet gunshots, a gun shop owner in Auburn said.

Rick LaChapelle, owner of Coastal Defense Firearms, said Card purchased a suppressor, also called a silencer, online and arranged to pick it up at his shop.

Card already had submitted information to the federal government to purchase it, and federal authorities had approved the sale to that point, he said.

When Card filled out the form at LaChapelle’s gun shop to pick up the silencer Aug. 5, he answered “yes” to the question: “Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?”

“As soon as he answered that ‘yes’ we know automatically that this is disqualifying, he’s not getting a silencer today,” LaChapelle said.

Silencers are more heavily regulated under federal law than most firearms. Federal law requires buyers to apply with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and be approved. The dealer must do a background check ,too

He said Card was polite when notified of the denial, mentioned something about the military and said he would “come right back” after consulting his lawyer.

Investigators are facing increasing public scrutiny and 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 turned contentious quickly when Mills declined to provide information about what the investigation has turned up so far.

Mills said state lawmakers would revisit Maine gun control laws. Proposals for tighter laws have stalled or failed in recent legislative sessions.

“I’m not going to stand here today and tell you I’m proposing X, Y and Z,” she said. “I’m here to listen, work with others and get people around the table as promptly as possible.”

Card’s body was found late Friday in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls, but it was unclear when he died.

Residents of Lewiston returned to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in the shootings. More than 1,000 people attended Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul for a vigil in Lewiston.

The deadliest shooting in Maine’s history stunned a state of 1.3 million people that has relatively little violent crime and only 29 killings in all of 2022.

The Lewiston shootings were the 36th mass killing in the U.S. this year, according to a database maintained by the AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. The database includes every mass killing since 2006 from all weapons in which four or more people, excluding the offender, were killed within a 24-hour time frame.

___

Associated Press journalists Patrick Whittle in Portland, David R. Martin and Matt Rourke in Lewiston, Maine, Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington, D.C., Kimberlee Kruesi in Nashville, Bernard Condon in New York and Michael Casey in Boston contributed.

Maine mass shooter’s family reached out to sheriff 5 months before rampage, sheriff’s office says

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Maine mass shooter’s family reached out to sheriff 5 months before rampage, sheriff’s office says

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