Hundreds of law enforcement officers were involved in the manhunt for Robert Card, the sole suspect in the Lewiston mass shooting that left 18 people dead and 13 others injured. He was found dead in Lisbon on October 27, two days after the shooting. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A US Lt. Col. said members of his unit did everything they could they were raised awareness of Robert Card II’s deteriorating mental health in the months before the reservist carried out a mass shooting in Lewiston, which killed 18 people and injured 13 others.
As a testimony earlier the independent commission to investigate the facts of Monday’s tragedy in Lewiston, U.S. Army LTC Ryan Vasquez, the battalion commander of Card’s regiment, said he and other military officials had no right to confiscate Card’s personal weapons, nor did they have explicit authority to store them at the US Army Reserve Center in Saco.
Vasquez also highlighted the lack of authority the military’s command structure has over those in the reserves in general.
Committee member Paula Silsby, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Maineasked Vasquez or he thought his unit had done everything they could have done, given these limitations in authority, regarding Card.
“Yes, and some,” Vasquez responded, adding: “I don’t know many average reserve units that would have handled that better than we did.”
What the US military knew and what actions were taken regarding Card’s mental health in the run-up to the shooting is questioned by T.He families of the Lewiston victims and those of Maine congressional delegation. There will be an Army Inspector General investigation into the events leading up to the shooting, although the release date remains unclear.
Before the hearing, Vasquez said he asked an army force protection officer whether personal weapons could be stored in a reserve center, and received a response on May 30 stating that the practice was not recommended or generally permitted. A copy of the memo was not available at the time of Monday’s hearing.
Vasquez told the committee that Card should have voluntarily allowed his personal weapons to be secured.
‘He has a Fourth Amendment right’ Vasquez said of protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. ‘I have no right: I cannot enter his house. That falls purely on the local officials or federal officials in his area.”
In his testimony, Vasquez also emphasized throughout the limitations of military authority on reservists like Card, who work part-time and repeat many of the points previously covered by a colonel in testimony before the committee last week.
Card did not communicate regularly with the military after his discharge from a mental health facility in August 2023 and had told officials he wanted to retire. Vasquez recalled. To the committee’s question whether Reservists have the right not to talk to their superior officer, Vasquez said. Although that is not the case, it is difficult to discipline reservists who do not.
“We can eventually get them out,” Vasquez said. “If we have the right paperwork, we can fire them, but because they don’t show up or have insubordination, the process is very slow.”
Vasquez arranged text communications with his predecessor, Lt. Col. McKinley Wood, for Monday’s hearing, in which the two discussed the unit before Vasquez took command in June 2023. However, Vasquez said they never discussed the concerns about Card.
The first time Vasquez recalled hearing Card’s name was in July 2023, when the reservist began behaving erratically at West Point and underwent a command-oriented evaluation, which Vasquez said was the appropriate response. Card subsequently spent time in a psychiatric facility before being discharged, along with a report recommending measures be taken to remove all firearms and weapons from his home.
Committee member Geoffrey Rushlau, a former Maine District Court judge, questioned why Vasquez contacted local police, instead of a referral to the Maine State Police, noting that the The Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department often only has two or three people for the entire county.
Vasquez said it has long been his practice to contact most local officials because he believes they have the closest ties to the community.
“I assume the Maine State Police means highways,” Vasquez said. “Sheriff is more local. So I would go to the sheriff first.”
In a interim report released in March, the commission found deficiencies within the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department and specifically cited Sgt. Aaron Skolfield for making only “limited attempts” to contact Card when he was called for a welfare check in the month before the Oct. 25 shooting. In addition, the commission said Skolfield failed to follow directions and evaluate available information showing Card posed a threat.
Committee Member George (Toby) Dilworth, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maine, asked Vasquez:What could the Reserve have done differently?”
Vasquez declined to say anything. “If you want to ask me about a fact, I will answer a fact. I don’t want to speculate.”
Dilworth pressed again: ‘“But as the commanding officer of this unit, you must have thought about things that could have been done differently.”
Vasquez replied: “It’s clear, sir,” but continued, “I think mental health is a national issue. It’s very complicated. There are many layers to it, and people need to understand it better. Everyone. We need to fund it better, and also appreciate the limitations I have as a part-time commander in the reserves, as far as my authorities do and don’t.”
Following the expected release of the inspector general’s report, U.S. Senator Susan Collins of Maine said she plans to draft legislation to require military services to report when a service member poses a threat to themselves or others, while still protecting Second Amendment rights.
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