On October 25, 2023, a horrific mass shooting took place in Lewiston, Maine which left 18 victims dead and 13 others wounded, making it the deadliest mass shooting in the United States this year.
For the victims, it was a normal night, when the suspect, identified as Robert Card, opened gunfire at the Schemengees Bar and Grille, followed by the Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley just four miles away.
The victims who ranged in age from 14 years old, to 76 years old were Tricia Asselin, 53; Stephen “Steve” Vozzella, 45; Peyton Brewer-Ross, 39; Thomas “Tommy” Conrad, 34; Michael Deslauriers II, 51; Jason Walker, 51; Bryan MacFarlane, 40; Arthur “Artie” Strout, 42; Joseph “Joey” Walker, 57; Joshua Seal, 36; Keith Macneir, 64; Maxx Hathaway, 35; Robert “Bob” Violette, 76; Lucille Violette, 73 and wife of Bob Violette; William “Bill” Young and his 14-year-old son Aaron Young, Ronald “Ron” Morin, 55; and William Frank Brackett, 48.
There are now growing questions about the mass shooter’s mental health and motive behind the shooting as law enforcement officials state that they sent out an alert last month to be on the lookout for Card after he made multiple threats to shoot up an army reserve base in Maine.
According to Lewiston’s Police Chief David St. Pierre, “He did obtain some mental health treatment but we aren’t sure to what extent.”
On Friday night at 7:45 pm, Maine State Police found Robert Card dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound by a dumpster near a recycling plant in Lisbon Falls, Maine.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers, including the FBI, SWAT, and the elite ‘BORTAC’ Border Patrol unit worked to locate Card for two days following the shooting rampage, who was described as being armed and dangerous.
Nearly three months before the attacks, the shooter tried to buy a silencer for his firearm from Coastal Defense Firearms in Auburn, Maine, but the owner of the store, Rick LaChapelle, refused to let him purchase it after he disclosed on a form that he had mental health issues, The New York Times reported.
Regardless, Card’s guns were not taken away and he was not investigated any further because under Maine law, that would only happen if he was forcibly committed for mental health treatment.
Following the incident Maine residents were urged by police to take shelter in their homes and report any suspicious activity they encountered in an effort to catch the killer on the loose.
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline is “heartbroken for our city and our people. Lewiston is known for our strength and grit and we will need both in the days to come.”
President Biden has spoken over the phone with Maine lawmakers and stated that he will offer full federal support after this horrific attack, as conversations arise about an assault weapon ban.
President Joe Biden says, “It is within our power to once again ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, to require safe storage of guns, to end gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and to enact universal background checks. I urge other states to follow Illinois’ lead, and continue to call upon Republican lawmakers in Congress to come to the table on meaningful, commonsense reforms that the American people support.”
Following the horrific shooting rampage in Maine on Wednesday, the city of Lewiston, Maine is taking steps toward healing while family members and close friends are left haunted by the terror. Questions are now being raised regarding proper mental health checks before owning a gun after many incidents occurred involving the shooter, Robert Card.
