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Key Takeaways:

• Survivors and relatives refiled a lawsuit against the U.S. government after a Defense Department watchdog report.
• The Army did not consistently report violent threats in nearly half of its 2023 investigations.
• Eighteen people were killed in Lewiston in October 2023, Maine’s deadliest mass shooting.
• Attorneys claim the Army could have intervened if it had followed its own policies.
• Unspecified damages are being sought from the Army, the Defense Department, and Keller Army Community Hospital.

Lawsuit Refiled After Inspector General’s Findings

Survivors and family members of victims of Maine’s deadliest mass shooting refiled their lawsuit against the U.S. government following a new Defense Department inspector general’s report. The report criticizes the U.S. Army for failing to report violent threats made by service members nearly half the time—32 out of 67 investigations in 2023.

Army Oversight Lapses

Military law enforcement is required to inform the service’s military criminal investigative organization whenever active service members issue violent threats. However, the inspector general’s review found the Army repeatedly neglected this protocol. In the wake of these findings, the plaintiffs argue that this systemic lapse played a significant role in allowing Robert Card, a reservist, to carry out a deadly attack that devastated Lewiston in October 2023.

Impact on Victims’ Families

Eighteen people were killed when Card opened fire at a bowling alley and a bar and grill. Dozens more were injured. Families of the victims and survivors maintain that the Army could have prevented the mass shooting if it had promptly addressed Card’s escalating threats. “Had the Army followed its own policies, it would have prevented an unstable and mentally ill service member from going back into this community without warning,” said attorney Travis Brennan on behalf of the families.

Missed Warning Signs

According to the lawsuit, Card had shown delusional and paranoid behavior for months leading up to the shooting. One fellow reservist even texted in September, “I believe he’s going to snap and do a mass shooting.” Despite these red flags and the Army’s requirements to document such threats, Card was not flagged for immediate intervention. The lawsuit contends it was a fatal oversight that cost many innocent lives.

The Road Ahead

The amended lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maine, seeks unspecified damages from the U.S. Army, the Defense Department, and Keller Army Community Hospital. While spokespeople for the Department of Defense and the hospital have declined to comment on the ongoing litigation, the Army has yet to respond. As Maine’s independent commission concluded, numerous intervention opportunities were missed. Now, the victims’ families are determined to hold military institutions accountable for what they believe were clear warning signs that went unheeded.