Attorneys for the victims of the Lewiston shootings are asking for an independent investigation by the Inspector General for the Department of Defense. The attorneys said investigations by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Army Inspector General are too narrow and raise conflicting conclusions.
In their letter to Maine's congressional delegation, a coalition of law firms said a broader, independent investigation is needed to identify important background information that lead to the tragedy and to systemic failures that caused multiple warning signs exhibited by gunman Robert Card to be overlooked. They also want to identify individuals who should be held accountable.
Card was an Army Reservist who was sent to a private psychiatric hospital in New York while on a drill last summer. But attorney Travis Brennan said the Army Inspector General's review said Card was a civilian, not on active duty.
"And so they raise questions about whether the Army had jurisdiction over him at that time. But the U.S. Army Reserves' report raises important questions about why his orders were not extended from July and into August given the concerning warning signs that he had presented with," Brennan said.
The Army Inspector General's review concludes Card's hospitalization was voluntary and that he was not "committed" the letter said. But the Army Investigation said Card was "committed" to a civilian hospital for 19 days.
Attorneys want to know why Card's orders were only extended for six days during his hospitalization. Among their other questions: whether the military has evaluated the connection between military service activities and traumatic brain injuries and/or mental health problems? Card was a longtime grenade instructor who was exposed to hundreds of low-level blasts in the Army Reserves. After his suicide, Boston University researchers found evidence that Card was likely suffering from a traumatic brain injury that may have played a role in his actions.