Victims of Maine’s deadliest shooting begin lawsuit against the Army

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Lawyers are representing 100 survivors and family members of victims deadliest shooting in Maine history have begun formal proceedings to sue the army and an army hospital for failing to stop the reservist responsible for the tragedy, lawyers announced Tuesday.

The individual claim notices state that the army was aware of the reservist’s actions Deterioration in mental health This caused him to become paranoid, delusional and express murderous thoughts, creating a “hit list” of those he wanted to attack.

“It is difficult to imagine a case in which Army personnel would have more warning signs and opportunities to intervene to prevent a service member from committing a mass shooting than was the case in the case of Army reservist Robert Card,” attorneys wrote in their notices will be sent by post on Friday.

The lawsuit notices from four law firms are a necessary step in suing the federal government. The army has six months to decide whether to respond. A lawsuit can then be filed.

There were eighteen people killed On October 25, 2023, Card, 40, opened fire at two locations he was visiting – a bowling alley and a cornhole league with a bar and grill. Another 13 people were injured. Card was found dead two days later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

A independent commission The official appointed by Maine’s governor concluded that both civilian law enforcement and the Army had numerous opportunities to intervene. Currently, advocates for victims and family and friends who have suffered losses are focused on the army, rather than a private hospital that handles cards or civilian law enforcement.

The Department of Defense, the U.S. Army and Army Keller Hospital “broke their promises, failed to act sensibly, violated their own policies and procedures, and disregarded instructions and orders,” the lawsuit says.

In September 2023, when Card threatened to “shoot up” an armory and his friend warned of “a mass shooting,” the Army failed to provide critical information about two doctors who denied Card access to weapons when they Local law enforcement requested officials check on his welfare. Card’s commanding officer even downplayed the threat by undermining the credibility of the soldier who issued the warning and refusing to share any information available to him, the claims say.

Cynthia Young, whose husband William and 14-year-old son Aaron were killed at the bowling alley, said in a statement that pain and trauma never go away. “As horrific as the shooting was, it is even more tragic that there were many opportunities to prevent it and they were not used,” she added.

The filing says there may have been a time when mass shootings were so rare that they couldn’t be predicted, but “that hasn’t been true in America for decades.”

“Mass shootings like what happened in Lewiston are an epidemic in America. “As a result, those in positions of responsibility and authority must recognize the warning signs and behaviors that indicate the risk of mass violence, take them seriously and take action to prevent them from occurring,” the claims say.