Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated as additional information becomes available.
Law enforcement officials have issued an arrest warrant for a 40-year-old Bowdoin, Maine man who is also a currently serving Army reservist, charged in the multi-location mass shooting Wednesday in Lewiston, Maine that left 18 people dead.
Sgt. 1st Class Robert R. Card II is a petroleum supply specialist in the Army Reserve who enlisted in December 2002, according to Army spokesman Bryce Dubee, who responded to an Army Times query on behalf of the Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, Army headquarters.
Multiple media reports, citing law enforcement officials allege that Card had made threats involving attacking a military base and received in-patient mental health treatment this past summer.
The New York Times reported Thursday afternoon that investigators were looking into an incident in which Card, “had a run-in with officials during a recent visit to Camp Smith, a National Guard training facility near West Point, New York, a senior law enforcement official said. The official said that Card was later evaluated at a mental health facility.”
Camp Smith is a New York Army National Guard training facility near Peekskill, New York, which is 13 miles from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Card worked at a U.S. Army Reserve training facility in Saco, Maine that often trains academy cadets.
Clifford Steeves of Massachusetts told CNN Thursday that he knew Card when they served in the Army Reserve together, starting in the early 2000s, until about a decade ago. He said he never witnessed any concerning behavior from Card.
“He was a very nice guy — very quiet. He never overused his authority or was mean or rude to other soldiers,” Steeves told CNN. “It’s really upsetting.”
The two served together at various points in Wisconsin, Georgia and New York, Steeves told CNN. The fellow reservist said he felt as though he “grew up” with Card because they joined the Army as young men and trained together.
Steeves told CNN that Card stuck out for being a “rational, understanding person” who “led through respect rather than fear.”
He described Card as an “outdoors type of guy” and a skilled marksman who was one of the best shooters in his unit. Steeves said Card had firearms training and land navigation, “so he would be very comfortable in the woods.”
Gov. Janet Mills updated the public in a Thursday morning press conference, announcing that 18 people are dead and another 13 wounded after a man opened fire at a bowling alley Wednesday night and then a restaurant in Lewiston.
At the same press conference, Maine State Police Col. William Ross said that seven people died at the bowling alley and eight at the restaurant. Three more people died at local hospitals. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, eight of the deceased had been identified, and officials were working to identify the remaining 10 victims.
Department of Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck stressed that Card was considered “armed and dangerous” and if residents see Card they should not approach him and should instead call the police.
“This is truly a tragedy that goes beyond comprehension,” said Lewiston Police Chief David L. St. Pierre.
Police continue an active manhunt that involves local law enforcement, and state and federal agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Marshals, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Authorities say they are searching for a person of interest who is a trained firearms instructor. Hundreds of law enforcement officers are seeking Robert Card, after the Wednesday night shooting, and a shelter-in-place advisory is in place in an area that includes Maine’s second-largest city and nearby Lisbon.
A police bulletin says Card was a firearms instructor and assigned to a training facility in Saco, Maine. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition.
The document circulated to law enforcement officials, said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks in the summer of 2023. It did not provide details about his treatment or condition but said Card had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” the military base. A telephone number listed for Card in public records was not in service.
In an updated statement released to Army Times late Thursday, Army spokesman Bryce Dubee said Card’s unit supported West Point training in July 2023, but there are no records to indicate Card instructed or participated in any training.
“The Army did not train SFC Card as a firearms instructor, nor did he serve in that capacity for the Army,” Dubee wrote.
Army Times has also queried Army officials for information on Card’s duty status and any releasable information regarding his mental health.
Officials have not yet responded to this query.
Department of Veterans Affairs Terrence Hayes said Card is not enrolled in or using VA healthcare, and that while Card used VA education benefits in 2004, he has not used or applied for any VA benefits since.
The 3rd Battalion of the 304th Infantry Regiment, 104th Training Division, 108th Training Command calls Saco, Maine home. That facility is used by the U.S. Army Reserve to train U.S. Military Academy at West Point cadets.
Law enforcement in the Lewiston area have issued “shelter in place” orders as they continue their search.
Card’s awards include the Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal x2, Humanitarian Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon. He has no combat deployments.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Todd South has written about crime, courts, government and the military for multiple publications since 2004 and was named a 2014 Pulitzer finalist for a co-written project on witness intimidation. Todd is a Marine veteran of the Iraq War.
