Survivors and families of the victims killed in Maine’s deadliest mass shooting have sued the federal government, alleging the U.S. Army could have prevented a reservist from carrying out the rampage that killed 18 people.

The shooting occurred on Oct. 25, 2023 when 40-year-old Robert Card opened fire at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. He was found dead two days after the massacre from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The lawsuit filed on Sept. 2 claims Army officials, local police and others were aware of Card’s deteriorating mental health and increasingly erratic behavior, and failed to properly intervene.

“The Army knew he had access to firearms. The Army promised to remove his guns but did not fulfill that promise,” the lawsuit says. “Worse, through its acts and omissions, the Army withheld information and actively misled local law enforcement, thereby preventing others from intervening and separating Card from his weapons.”

The Army declined to respond to the lawsuit, saying it does not comment on pending litigation as a matter of policy.

Official reports detail failures leading up to mass shooting

An independent commission established by Maine Gov. Janet Mills released a report on the shooting in August 2024, which alleged several failures of Army officials and local police to take steps to seize Card’s firearms and intervene as he experienced a mental health crisis.

The report detailed the months leading up to the shooting in which fellow reservists and family members told authorities that Card had become paranoid, threatened violence and possessed a cache of weapons.

At one point he was admitted into a psychiatric hospital in Katonah, New York, where he said he had a “hit list” and medical professionals determined he had “homicidal ideations.” Nevertheless, he was released from the hospital after 19 days.

Weeks before the shooting, Card’s friend, who was in his reserve unit, contacted the unit chain of command after Card violently attacked him, and said he was concerned his friend was “going to snap and commit a mass shooting.”

Army officials relayed the concerns to local law enforcement, and the Army Reserve Medical Management Center also tried to reach Card about his treatment. The day before the shooting, Army Reserve Psychological Health Program called Card but he didn’t answer.

The Army has released its own report detailing several lapses in how officials leading Card’s unit dealt with the reservist’s spiraling mental health. The report detailed procedural missteps and communication gaps, resulting in the discipline of at least three officers in the gunman’s chain of command.

Contributing: N’dea Yancey-Bragg