A group whose family members have been affected by severe mental illness in their families said the independent commission investigating the Lewiston shootings did not focus enough on the role state agencies should have played in preventing the tragedy.
Members of the National Shattering Silence Coalition said the commission focused too heavily on the role of law enforcement, instead of mental health programs that could have prevented it.
John Nutting is a former state lawmaker from Leeds.
"We think this commission should have really focused on, what could Maine have done better to prevent tragedies? Yes, a better police response is great and better police coordination is great," he said. "But what can we do to prevent this from happening in the future?"
Nutting said some programs need to be promoted and used more often, like Maine's "progressive treatment program," which allows a doctor or police officer to ask the court to order mental health treatment.
He said other efforts like mobile crisis centers aren't enough to reach patients like Robert Card, who don't believe they are sick.
"They are going to be absolutely worthless, because they don't think they're sick, they're not going to go near them," Nutting said.
He said the commission's report focuses too heavily on the response of law enforcement, which won't help prevent future shootings.
