NATIONAL NEWS

Police video shows police knew Maine shooter was a threat. They also felt confronting him was unsafe

Dec 22, 2023, 4:00 PM | Updated: May 24, 2024, 10:36 am

Police vehicles are seen near the area where Robert Card, the suspect in maine shooting...

Police vehicles are seen near the area where Robert Card, the suspect in two mass killings, was found dead on October 27, 2023 in Lisbon, Maine. (Joe Raedle/ Getty Images)

(Joe Raedle/ Getty Images)

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Police who declined to confront an Army reservist in the weeks before he killed 18 people in Maine’s deadliest mass shooting feared that doing so would “throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas,” according to video released Friday by law enforcement.

The video, which was released to the Portland Press Herald and then sent to The Associated Press, documents a Sept. 16 call between Sagadoc County Sheriff’s Sgt. Aaron Skolfield and Army Reserve Capt. Jeremy Reamer. Skolfield was following up with Reamer about the potential threat posed by Robert Card, 40, who carried out the Oct. 25 attacks at a bowling alley and a restaurant. He was found dead two days later of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Military officials alerted police in September that Card had been hospitalized in July after exhibiting erratic behavior while training, that he still had access to weapons and that he had threatened to “shoot up” an Army reserve center in Saco, a city in southern Maine. The sheriff’s department responded by briefly staking out the Saco facility and going to Card’s home in Bowdoin for what Reamer described as a “welfare check.”

“The only thing I would ask is if you could just document it,” Reamer said. “Just say, ’He was there, he was uncooperative. But we confirmed that he was alive and breathing.’ And then we can go from there. That’s, from my end here, all we’re really looking for.”

Skolfield mentioned Maine’s yellow flag law, which can be used to remove guns from potentially dangerous people, after Reamer said Card had refused medical treatment after his hospitalization.

“So that, obviously, is a hurdle we have to deal with. But at the same time, we don’t want to throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas, either — make things worse,” he said.

Reamer expressed similar concerns. “I’m a cop myself,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t want you guys to get hurt or do anything that would put you guys in a compromising position.”

Auburn City Councilor Leroy Walker, Sr., whose son Joseph Walker was killed in the shootings expressed frustration with police after seeing the video. Joseph Walker was the manager of Schemengees Bar & Grill, where part of the attack took place.

“I would like to know what we train these people to do. Is it just to deliver mail? Or stop innocent people that may be driving 11 miles (per hour) over the speed limit?” Walker said in a text message, noting that watching the video made him “sick.”

In the video, Skolfield referred to the Cards as “a big family in this area,” and said he didn’t want to publicize that police were visiting the home. He told Reamer he would reach out to Card’s brother, Ryan, to ensure family members had taken Card’s guns, and a second video shows an officer at the father’s home. After Card’s father said he hadn’t spoken with Ryan in several days, the officer said he would try again later.

“I just wanted to make sure Robert doesn’t do anything foolish at all,” he said.

report released last week by Sheriff Joel Merry made clear that local law enforcement knew months before the attack that Card’s mental health was deteriorating. Police were aware of reports that he was paranoid, hearing voices, experiencing psychotic episodes and possibly dealing with schizophrenia.

Merry and Lewiston city officials declined to comment on the release of the videos. But a former New York Police Department detective sergeant who reviewed them for The Associated Press said the events preceding the shooting illustrate the difficulty in applying Maine’s yellow flag law. Lax laws about removing weapons from dangerous people is a problem in numerous states, said Felipe Rodriquez, an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.

“The laws are just too convoluted and they are working against each other. That’s the biggest problem we have,” Rodriquez said.

Dan Flannery, the director of the Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University, cautioned that only so much about a police investigation can be gleaned from a few minutes of video.

“There is always context, there is the issue of what is the training and protocol within the division,” Flannery said. “Violent behavior is unfortunately one of the most difficult things to predict.”

But attorneys for shooting victims’ families said the footage supports a pattern of police ignoring clear warning signs about Card in the weeks prior to the shooting. One of the attorneys, Ben Gideon of Auburn, said “watching that footage, knowing what happened approximately six weeks later, is chilling and surreal.”

The attorneys said they are looking forward to an independent Army inspector general’s full accounting of the events leading up to the shootings. Some of the information they’ve gathered so far, including the video released Friday, is “highly concerning,” said Travis Brennan, another attorney for the families.

“It’s one example of many of system failures. There is no question here that this is an individual who had overt warning signs,” Brennan said.

In addition to the inspector general’s investigation, Gov. Janet Mills appointed an independent commission led by a former state chief justice to review all aspects of the tragedy.

The actions of authorities ahead of and during mass shootings has come under increasing scrutiny. Last year, the Air Force was ordered to pay more than $230 million in damages to survivors and victims’ families for failing to flag a conviction that might have kept the gunman in a 2017 church shooting in Texas from legally buying the weapon he used in the attack.

After a gunman fatally shot 19 children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, last year, state lawmakers issued a scathing report faulting law enforcement at every level with failing “to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety.” Several officers lost their jobs over the halting and haphazard response, and a state prosecutor is still considering whether to bring criminal charges. ___

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington, Nick Perry in Meredith, New Hampshire, and Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Send it to the KSL NewsRadio team here.

National News

Estee Lauder products on display...

ANNE D'INNOCENZIO AP Retail Writer

Estee Lauder to cut up to 7,000 jobs as sales slide

Estee Lauder said it's expanding its restructuring plan to include from 5,800 to 7,000 job cuts by 2026.

3 days ago

dc plane crash recovery...

Associated Press

Remains of all 67 victims of plane/chopper collision near DC are recovered

The news came Tuesday as crews worked to try to recover the cockpit and other parts of the jetliner from the Potomac River.

3 days ago

A figure skater with the Cottonwood Heights Figure Skating Club held a rose during a memorial vigil...

Shara Park

Cottonwood Heights Figure Skating Club holds memorial vigil for Flight 5432

As crews pull the remaining wreckage from Flight 5432, figure skating clubs from around the country held vigils to honor those killed.

4 days ago

The lobby of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) headquarters is seen on February...

ELLEN KNICKMEYER and MEG KINNARD Associated Press

What is USAID? Explaining the US foreign aid agency, why Trump/Musk want to end it

Former President John F. Kennedy established USAID during the Cold War. In the decades since, Republicans and Democrats have fought over the agency and its funding,

4 days ago

Grammy...

MARIA SHERMAN AP Music Writer

Jimmy Carter wins posthumous Grammy for narrating an audiobook of his Sunday school lessons

Former President Jimmy Carter posthumously won a Grammy on Sunday for narrating an audiobook of Sunday school lessons.

4 days ago

parent tackles gunman at texas school band competition...

Mariah Maynes

Parent tackles gunman who injured 1 at Texas school band competition, officials say

A parent tackled a gunman who opened fire at a Texas school band competition. One person was injured.

5 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Full speed through the snow. A man on skis is pulled by his through the snow at full gallop Skijori...

Bear Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau

Get ready for an unforgettable skijoring adventure in Bear Lake!

“Skijoring the Bear” takes place this year on February 21-22 in Garden City, Utah.

the bedroom in a geodesic dome shows the night sky...

Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon

Your front row to an extraordinary cosmos show

As America's first glass dome stargazing resort, Clear Sky Resorts Bryce Canyon is one of the world’s most unique and spectacular places to stay.

2 people huddled up in a blanket and warm clothes sipping hot chocolate...

Bear Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

The best ways to spend your Christmas vacation in Bear Lake

If you're dreaming of a white Christmas this year, Bear Lake should definitely be on your radar. Read this guide for more!

big crowd of people under holiday lights in an outdoor market...

Western Nut

Our favorite family Christmas activities in Utah

We gathered up a list of our favorite activities, movies, and treats to try this holiday season that the whole family can enjoy.

an IT tech looks at a laptop in front of a server network...

Comcast Business

Tips to protect yourself from phishing attacks

Check out this resource from Comcast Business to learn more about phishing attacks and how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of one.

A surprise gift, wrapped and ready to bring holiday cheer! Whether for Christmas, a birthday, or an...

Western Nut

10 Holiday Gift Ideas to cover everyone on your list

This guide is for you if you need holiday gift ideas that will make a lasting impression. 

Police video shows police knew Maine shooter was a threat. They also felt confronting him was unsafe