According to reports, the individual responsible for the deadliest mass shooting in Maine in October 2023 exhibited severe brain damage consistent with repeated exposure to blasts from weapons. Analysis of Robert Card’s brain tissue, conducted by Dr. Ann McKee and her team at Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center, revealed signs of traumatic brain injury.
Card, a grenade instructor in the Army Reserve, tragically ended his own life following the shooting rampage in Lewiston, which claimed the lives of 18 individuals. The findings, released by the Concussion Legacy Foundation, aim to contribute to preventing similar tragedies in the future.
As outlined in the study publication, the brain damage led to the degeneration of nerve fibers crucial for inter-brain communication. Additionally, indications of inflammation and minor blood vessel damage were noted. Notably, there was an absence of evidence of this condition in the examined tissue samples.
Following the shooting incident, the 40-year-old Card was discovered deceased at a recycling facility where he had been employed in the nearby area of Lisbon Falls. Reports indicate that the firearms utilized by the perpetrator were legally owned. Federal investigators were informed by Card’s relatives that he had recently discussed hearing voices and had developed a growing fixation on a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, the site of the shooting. Among the 18 victims of the attack was a grandfather who courageously attempted to intervene and stop the assailant.
Michael Sauschuck, the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, indicated that Card selected his targets due to a paranoid perception that others were discussing him. Sauschuck disclosed that a note discovered in the shooter’s residence, containing bank account details and a phone passcode, was meant for a close individual. Although not explicitly labeled as a suicide note, Sauschuck noted that the letter’s tone conveyed clear intent.
In their statement, Card’s family conveyed their deep sorrow and offered apologies for the tragedy. Acknowledging the impossibility of reversing what has occurred, they opted to share the study with the aspiration that lessons could be gleaned from the tragedy and that future occurrences might be averted. Additionally, they expressed their desire to increase awareness of traumatic brain injury among military personnel.
