Maine Shooting Victims Sue Army for Inaction

Families claim Army ignored warning signs before mass shooting
By Newser.AI Read our AI policy
Posted Oct 15, 2024 12:40 PM CDT
Maine Shooting Victims Sue Army for Inaction
Law enforcement personnel are staged in a school parking lot during a manhunt for Robert Card in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 27, 2023.   (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

Survivors and families of victims of the deadliest shooting in Maine's history are moving forward to hold the US Army accountable. Represented by four law firms, they have initiated legal actions, alleging that military officials ignored critical warning signs about Army Reservist Robert Card's deteriorating mental health. Notices of claim accuse the Army of failing to act on or recognize Card's homicidal ideations, which included drafting a "hit list," thus missing opportunities to avert the tragedy.

Eighteen individuals lost their lives when Card, 40, attacked a bowling alley and a cornhole league event on October 25, 2023. Card was found dead by suicide shortly afterward. An independent commission concluded that both civilian authorities and the Army had ample opportunities for intervention. The legal focus is currently on the Army, rather than the private hospital that treated Card or civilian law enforcement. The suit alleges the Department of Defense and Army Keller Hospital are faulted for neglecting protocols and disregarding direct warnings about Card's threatening behaviors.

Cynthia Young, who lost both her husband and teenage son in the attack, expressed the tragedy's enduring impact and voiced frustration about missed preventive measures: "As terrible as the shooting was, it's even more tragic that there were many opportunities to prevent this and they were not taken." (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)

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