Wind Rad

Maine’s Total Coverage and 8 Investigates are getting reactions to the U.S. Army Reserve report following its investigation into the Lewiston shooting and U.S. Army Reserve handling of shooter Robert Card’s health history.Sen. Susan Collins, who is Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Defense, released a statement saying the investigation answered some important questions:”The Army Reserve investigation identified multiple errors made by unit leadership, medical professionals, and law enforcement in the months before the shooting. These errors include significant breakdowns in Mr. Cards medical care. “The Armys Psychological Health Program also clearly had inadequate procedures for following up with soldiers with mental illness, such as closing cases due to unresponsiveness. When Mr. Card failed to respond to follow-up inquiries, that should have been considered a warning sign that his mental health was deteriorating and that he was unlikely to be following the protocols he had been given.”Collins also said the investigations show more could have been done to trigger the Yellow Flag Law in Maine to potentially remove Card’s guns from his home.”There are other important questions that warrant additional inquiry,” Collins said.”For example, according to the reports, the civilian hospital that treated Mr. Card initiated steps to involuntarily commit him when he sought release. A court hearing was scheduled for August 2, but Mr. Card rescinded his request to leave, and the hearing was cancelled. The hospital, nevertheless, released Card on August 3. It is unclear why he was released and whether the hospital provided adequate care. That facility did not fully cooperate with the Army Reserves or the Army Inspector Generals investigations, so these key questions remain unresolved.”Collins said she and Sen. Angus King are working on legislation that would direct the military to fully utilize state crisis intervention programs to help prevent future incidents like this while also protecting the Second Amendment and due process rights of service members.King’s office told Maine’s Total Coverage Tuesday morning the Senator was on his way to Washington and would try to speak with us later in the day.A spokesperson for Gov. Janet Mills released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying she just got a copy of the report that morning and would be reviewing it in the coming days. “The ongoing work to determine the complete facts and circumstances surrounding the tragedy in Lewiston is of paramount importance for the people of Maine,” the spokesman said in a statement.Rep. Chellie Pingree released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying she was reviewing the report and working with Maine’s delegation to push the Department of Defense and the Army to follow their recommendations.”Congress must do more to prevent senseless gun violence in this country. Now is the time to make real change. To save lives, Congress must reinstate an assault weapons ban, ban high-capacity magazines, enact universal background checks, require safe gun storage, and end immunity for gun manufacturers,” Pingree said.Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry said he was on vacation and had not yet seen the report and thus could not comment. Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Aaron Skolfield, who was been named in the Lewiston Commission interim report, said he was still reviewing the report and was not ready to comment.Maine’s Total Coverage has also reached out to Gov. Janet Mills, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Rep. Jared Golden and Four Winds Hospital in New York for response to the report from the U.S. Army Reserve. This article will be updated as more reactions are received.