Independent commission makes no recommendations in final report on Lewiston mass murder

LEWISTON, Maine (WABI) – The independent commission investigating last year’s mass shooting in Lewiston released its final report Tuesday.

While the report does not make any recommendations, it does say that local police and Army reserves missed several opportunities to potentially prevent the fatal shootings.

“Robert Card is fully responsible for his own conduct, he is solely responsible,” said Commission Chairman Daniel Wathen.

“He was responsible for the deaths and injuries that night. We will never know whether he would have committed the mass murder even if someone had managed to take away his firearms before October 25,” Wathen said.

Last November, Governor Mills established an independent commission to investigate the timeline of events leading up to the horrific events of October 25.

Since then, they have held 16 public hearings and several private sessions, listening to survivors and other stakeholders before releasing their final document on Tuesday morning.

The 215-page report says both Robert Card's Army Reserve Unit and the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office had opportunities that could have prevented the largest mass murder in state history.

“First, the Commission confirms what it stated in its interim report released last March. The Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office had sufficient probable cause to take Card into protective custody under Maine's Yellow Flag Law. The Sheriff's Office is entitled to point out that the Army Reserve did not share all of the relevant information it had about Card's conduct.”

Also present were lawyers representing more than 90 family members of survivors and victims of the shooting, including Benjamin Gideon.

“From our perspective as lawyers representing the families affected by this mass murder, it is very simple. It is a simple formulation: diagnosed psychosis and possession of numerous assault weapons require action,” Gideon said.

Travis Brennan is among the lawyers representing the victims’ families.

“On behalf of the clients we represent, it will be deeply disturbing and saddening for them to learn that this could and should have been prevented,” Brennan said.

Commission Chairman Daniel Wathen defended the panel's decision not to make recommendations, saying it was up to others to implement changes based on the report.

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