Current:Home > ScamsArmy Reserve punishes officers for dereliction of duty related to Maine shooting -WealthGrow Network
Army Reserve punishes officers for dereliction of duty related to Maine shooting
View
Date:2025-04-15 23:30:24
An Army Reserve investigation found there were "multiple communication failures" about warning signs in the months before Army reservist Robert Card committed the worst mass shooting in Maine's history, in Lewiston, last October.
The investigation into the shooting and into Card's suicide said the failures were with Card's chain of command and with the military and civilian hospitals which treated him for mental health concerns a few months before the shooting. Despite Card exhibiting "homicidal ideations" and speaking of a "hit list," he was discharged from the hospital with a "very low risk" of harm to himself or others in August 2023.
The Army Reserve has administratively punished three officers in Card's chain of command for "dereliction of duty."
Lieutenant General Jody Daniels, chief of Army Reserve, told reporters the officers failed to follow procedures, including initiating an investigation after Card was hospitalized in July 2023, that would have flagged him as potentially needing more care.
For about two weeks a year, from 2014 to 2022, Card served as a combat weapons trainer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, primarily as a "pit NCO" instructor on the hand grenade range, according to the investigation.
Starting in January 2023, Card began to hear voices of people that he believed were ridiculing him behind his back, on social media, and directly in his presence, according to the investigation. His friends and family spent months trying to assure him they supported him. By May 2023, his family reported at least four mental health incidents to a school resource officer who referred it to local law enforcement.
The Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office reported it to his chain of command in the Reserve. Nevertheless, his unit said he should come to the mandatory annual training in July.
He was at training in New York and in active-duty status when he showed signs of a "deteriorating mental state." His command ordered an evaluation at the nearby military hospital, which then determined Card needed a higher level of care at Four Winds, a civilian hospital.
He stayed at the civilian hospital for 19 days with the diagnosis of a "brief psychotic disorder." When he was released, neither the civilian nor the military hospital communicated the discharge or follow-on care to Card's chain of command.
If a soldier is in the hospital for over 24 hours, the command is supposed to initiate a line of duty investigation. If they had initiated it, they would have been in communication with both Four Winds and the military hospital about Card's condition before and after he was released.
Card was not in a duty status when he killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a nearby restaurant on Oct. 25, and hadn't been since he was released from the hospital on Aug. 3, 2023.
In September, a friend in Card's unit reported his concern that Card would conduct a mass shooting. Since they didn't have authority over Card, his reserve leadership called in local law enforcement for wellness checks. Local law enforcement attempted to conduct two wellness checks on Card but failed to engage with him.
- In:
- Maine
Eleanor Watson is a CBS News reporter covering the Pentagon.
TwitterveryGood! (32)
Related
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- Starliner astronauts welcome Crew-9 team, and their ride home, to the space station
- Plans to build green spaces aimed at tackling heat, flooding and blight
- Everything We Loved in September: Shop the Checkout Staff’s Favorite Products
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- A Black man says a trucking company fired him because he couldn’t cut off his dreadlocks
- 'Baby Reindeer' had 'major' differences with real-life story, judge says
- Movie armorer’s conviction upheld in fatal ‘Rust’ set shooting by Alec Baldwin
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Man sentenced to nearly 200 years after Indiana triple homicide led to serial killer rumors
Ranking
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Judge strikes down Georgia ban on abortions, allowing them to resume beyond 6 weeks into pregnancy
- Beyoncé strips down with Levi's for new collab: See the cheeky ad
- California expands access to in vitro fertilization with new law requiring insurers to cover it
- SFO's new sensory room helps neurodivergent travelers fight flying jitters
- Katie Meyer's family 'extremely disappointed' Stanford didn't honor ex-goalie last week
- Colorado family sues after man dies from infection in jail in his 'blood and vomit'
- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs appeals for release while he awaits sex trafficking trial
Recommendation
Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 5
Jeep urges 194,000 plug-in hybrid SUV owners to stop charging and park outdoors due to fire risk
MLB power rankings: Los Angeles Dodgers take scenic route to No. 1 spot before playoffs
Selena Gomez engaged to Benny Blanco after 1 year together: 'Forever begins now'
DirecTV to acquire Dish Network, Sling for $1 in huge pay-TV merger
Julianne Hough Claps Back at Critics Who Told Her to Eat a Cheeseburger After Sharing Bikini Video
How to help those affected by Hurricane Helene