Local police, Army Reserve missed opportunity to stop Maine shooting: report

The Army Reserves and local police had opportunities to intervene in a shooting that killed 18 people, an independent commission’s report concluded. The shooting was the deadliest in Maine’s history. 

The 215-page report found that local law enforcement under Maine’s yellow flag law had the authority to seize gunman Robert Card’s weapons and put him in protective custody, according to the Associated Press. The Army Reserves, according to the report, should have done more to maintain security of the weapons.   

During the commission’s public hearings, local law enforcement were commended for their swift response when the Oct. 25, 2023, shooting occurred, including navigating the ensuing chaos during the search for the gunman. Card was later found to have committed suicide after the shooting.