One year after an Army reservist perpetrated a mass shooting across Lewiston, Maine, lawyers representing 100 survivors and family members of victims announced on Tuesday that they have initiated the process of suing the U.S. Army and an Army hospital. The lawsuit is based on claims that the Army failed to act on alarming warning signs regarding the mental health of Army Reservist Robert Card, who was responsible for the tragedy.
According to the individual notices of claim sent to the Army, attorneys assert that military officials were aware of Card's deteriorating mental health, which left him paranoid and delusional. The claims detail that Card had produced a "hit list" of individuals he intended to attack, highlighting the Army's missed opportunities to intervene.
"It is difficult to conceive of a case in which Army personnel could have more warning signs and opportunities to intervene to prevent a service member from committing a mass shooting than what happened in the case of Army Reservist Robert Card," the lawyers said in the letter.
These notices, filed by four law firms, are a prerequisite for suing the federal government. The Army now has six months to respond to the claims before a lawsuit can be formally filed, according to the CBS News.
On October 25, 2023, Card opened fire at a bowling alley and a cornhole league event, killing 18 people and wounding another 13. The 40-year-old Army reservist was found dead two days later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An independent commission appointed by Maine's governor concluded that both civilian law enforcement and the Army had ample opportunities to intervene.
The claims assert that the Department of Defense, U.S. Army, and Army Keller Hospital breached their obligations by failing to act on the warnings about Card's behavior. In September 2023, Card had threatened to "shoot up" an armory, and his friend had warned authorities of a potential mass shooting. However, when the Army requested a welfare check on Card, it did not provide critical background information from two doctors who recommended that he not have access to firearms. Additionally, Card's commanding officer allegedly minimized the threat and withheld vital information.
Cynthia Young, whose husband William and 14-year-old son Aaron were among those killed at the bowling alley, expressed her grief in a statement, noting that the trauma never fades. "As terrible as the shooting was, it's even more tragic that there were many opportunities to prevent this, and they were not taken", she said.
"Mass shootings, like what happened in Lewiston, are an epidemic in America. Consequently, those in positions of responsibility and authority are required to appreciate the warning signs and behaviors that telegraph the risk of mass violence, take them seriously, and act to prevent their occurrence," the claims said, as reported by the CBS News.
On October 11, shots were fired at a Pennsylvania school bus, prompting local high schools to shift to virtual learning as a precaution. Police have reported that the shots were directed at a single student.
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