Lewiston Final Report: Army, police missed chances to prevent mass shooting in Maine

Army Reserve and law enforcement officials failed to take several opportunities that could have prevented the Lewiston, Maine, mass shootings last year, an independent commission tasked with investigating the tragedy said in its final report Tuesday.

The commission, which is comprised of several attorneys, prosecutors and a forensic psychologist and a psychiatrist, released its final report Tuesday about the October 2023 mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine that left 18 people dead.

In the report, the commission said the while the actions of the shooter, Robert Card, were his own, his Army reserve unit and local law enforcement missed opportunities to intervene after several concerns about Card's behavior were raised.

Ultimately, the report said, authorities “failed to undertake necessary steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public."

Here's what to know about the full findings of the report.

Police officers had probable cause to enact yellow flag law prior to Lewiston shootings, final report says

The independent commission that investigated the facts of the Lewiston, Maine, mass shootings said in its final report that police officers should have undergone steps to seize Robert Card's firearms through Maine's yellow flag law.

Maine's yellow flag law allows anyone who suspects a gun owner is a threat to report them to police, who then must determine whether that person should be taken into protective custody, evaluated by a mental health professional or apply for a court order to seize their firearms.

Several people who knew Card, including his son and former wife, notified law enforcement about concerns of his behaviors in the months leading up to the shooting, the report said.

As a result, local police officers had reason to utilize their power under the state's yellow flag laws before the shooting but did not, the report said, reiterating a previous finding in the commission's interim report from this year.

The report said that police officers who testified in front of the commission said the yellow flag law is "cumbersome, inefficient and unduly restrictive."

Army Reserve officers did not tell police about all of Robert Card's threatening behavior, final report says

The report also said officers in the Army Reserve , which Robert Card was active in, failed to take steps to reduce the threat he posed to the public.

The report found that Army Reserve officers were aware of Card's concerning behavior, including hallucinations, aggressiveness and ominous comments but did not notify local police officers about the full extent of the behavior.

Several of Card's family members, friends and fellow reservists alerted Army Reserve officials about concerning behavior, the report said.

"Despite their knowledge, they ignored the strong recommendations of Card’s Army mental health providers to stay engaged with his care and 'mak[e] sure that steps are taken to remove weapons' from his home,'" the report said.

The commission said that if Army Reserve officers had notified police officers of the extent of Card's behavior, they may have acted "more assertively."

Independent commission investigation into Lewiston, Maine, shootings releases findings

The independent commission in charge of investigating the 2023 mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, released its final report during a press conference Tuesday at Lewiston's city hall.

The commission was formed last year by Maine Gov. Janet Mills, and spent nine months compiling its 215-page final report. The investigation process included more than a dozen public meetings and private witness testimony.

Daniel Wathen, a retired Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and the commission's chair, spoke on behalf of the group during the press conference Tuesday.

He said the commission was only tasked with investigating the facts of the shootings, not making recommendations. He also said it is impossible to know whether the shootings would have been prevented if officials had properly intervened.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Lewiston Final Report: Army, police missed chances to prevent mass shooting in Maine