Join our mailing list to receive a daily morning email with the latest news from the United States, completely free of charge.
Join our complimentary daily American morning email newsletter.
The state of Maine has requested the military service records of the individual responsible for killing 18 people and injuring 13 others in two separate incidents in Lewiston last month. This request is part of an ongoing investigation into the shootings.
During their initial meeting on Monday, the group unanimously voted to request Robert Card’s records.
The seven-person commission members are requesting access to psychiatric, medical, and military records of the shooter. However, they may not have the authority to obtain these records without the ability to subpoena certain entities such as the US Army Reserve and hospitals. These entities are restricted from disclosing patient information under HIPAA laws.
Card was formerly employed as a petroleum supply specialist in the Army Reserve. He was discovered deceased two days after the shootings, having reportedly committed suicide.
Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey issued a statement expressing their support for the group’s decision.
“We promised to provide the independent commission with the necessary resources and authority to effectively fulfill its duties of gathering facts,” stated the government officials when the commission was first established.
We will assist the independent commission and work with legislative leaders to create legislation that gives the commission the authority to issue subpoenas.
The statement also mentioned that the two individuals will create the law before the upcoming session, which is set to commence in early January.
The commission’s members consist of professionals with expertise in the fields of law, mental health, or investigation.
The individuals involved are Daniel E Wathen, the chair of the group and former Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court; Dr Debra Baeder PhD, who previously served as the chief forensic psychologist for Maine; Ellen Gorman, a former associate justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court; and George Dilworth, a former assistant US Attorney for the District of Maine.
The team has been assigned the job of examining the reaction of emergency workers prior to, during, and after the incidents on October 25th, when a bar and bowling alley were involved in shootings.
The committee will also investigate why the state’s yellow flag legislation did not prevent the attacker from buying guns, even though they had been admitted to a psychiatric facility in New York several months prior.
Under the law, law enforcement is authorized to start a procedure in which an officer can assess whether someone should be placed in temporary protective custody. Then, a judge can issue a 14-day ban on weapons, which can be prolonged for up to a year with a court hearing. People who were acquainted with him stated that he exhibited unstable behavior before the occurrence.
Relatives and other members of the military made efforts to alert the police about the assailant prior to the attacks.
The team is projected to complete their report within six months. When introducing the commission, Governor Mills requested that the specialists base their actions solely on factual evidence and remain impartial and objective in their approach, with the goal of uncovering the truth.
Source: the-independent.com
