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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Survivors and relatives in Maine’s deadliest shooting start the
process of suing the Army
By Associated Press
Updated:
9:07 AM EDT, Wed October 16, 2024
Source: AP
Lawyers for 100 survivors and relatives of victims of the have begun
the formal process of suing the US Army for what they say was a failure
to act to stop the reservist responsible for the crime, attorneys
announced Tuesday.
The individual notices of claim say the Army failed to act despite
being aware of the reservist’s that led to his hospitalization and
left him paranoid, delusional and expressing homicidal ideations –
including producing a “hit list” of those he wanted to attack.
“It is difficult to conceive of a case in which Army personnel could
have more warning signs and opportunities to intervene to prevent a
service member from committing a mass shooting than what happened in
the case of Army Reservist Robert Card,” the lawyers wrote.
The notices of claim by four law firms, one of which worked with
victims of the , Connecticut, mass shooting, are a required step in
suing the federal government. The Army will have six months to
determine whether to respond, after which lawyers are poised to file a
lawsuit. The Army said in a statement Tuesday that it does not comment
on litigation.
Eighteen people were when the 40-year-old Card opened fire at two
locations he’d frequented — a bowling alley and a cornhole league
hosted by a bar and grill — on October 25, 2023. An additional 13
people were injured. Card was found dead by suicide two days later.
Lawyers for the Lewiston victims gathered with dozens of survivors and
their family members and friends on Tuesday to announce the filing. At
a news conference held about 1.5 miles from the bar and grill,
Elizabeth Seal said through a sign language interpreter that the legal
action is critical for the victim’s healing process. Seal’s
husband, Joshua Seal, was killed in the shootings.
“We need to keep the people who acted in a neglectful way
accountable, because they may have been responsible for the loss of our
18 loved ones,” Seal said through the interpreter. “And for those
of us who are victims and survivors, the emotional and physical trauma
will stay with us forever. Once justice is served, I feel maybe we can
start that process of healing.”
An appointed by Maine’s governor concluded that there were ample
opportunities to intervene by both civilian law enforcement and the
Army. For now, lawyers for victims, as well as relatives and friends
who suffered loss, are focusing on the Army, not on a private hospital
that treated Card or on civilian law enforcement.
The Department of Defense, US Army and Army Keller Hospital “broke
its promises, failed to act reasonably, violated its own polices and
procedures and disregarded directives and orders,” the claim said.
In September 2023, when Card threatened to “shoot up” an armory and
his friend warned of “a mass shooting,” the Army did not provide
critical background about two doctors recommending that Card not have
access to weapons when it requested that local law enforcement officers
check on his well-being, the claims said. Card’s commanding officer
even downplayed the threat by undercutting the credibility of the
soldier who issued the warning and by declining to share all
information at his disposal, the claims said.
Cynthia Young, whose husband, William, and 14-year-old son, Aaron, were
killed at the bowling alley, said the pain and trauma never go away.
“As terrible as the shooting was, it’s even more tragic that there
were many opportunities to prevent this and they were not taken,” she
said. “There needs to be accountability for those actions not taken
that led up to the 18 souls being lost and also the loss of feeling
safe and secure from the survivors of this tragic event.”
The filings said there may have been a time when mass shootings were so
rare that they couldn’t be predicted, but “that has not been true
in America for decades.”
“Mass shootings, like what happened in Lewiston, are an epidemic in
America. Consequently, those in positions of responsibility and
authority are required to appreciate the warning signs and behaviors
that telegraph the risk of mass violence, take them seriously, and act
to prevent their occurrence,” the claims said.
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