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Maine gunman’s family testifies they “repeatedly called the military” about his mental health
LEWISTON, Maine – The family of the gunman who killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine last year testified in front of a commission in Lewiston Thursday, saying more could have been done to help him and prevent the mass shooting.
The family of Robert Card will never forget the 18 victims. A commission in Lewiston began speaking with Card’s family this week to determine what could have been done better and whether this could have been prevented.
Family concerned with Robert Card’s mental health
“First I would like to recognize the loved ones lost on October 25. My family will never forget your names. Each of your names are on our wall and in our homes as a constant reminder, as well as they are on our property, so we can see them as we leave home each day and return home,” said James Herling, Card’s brother-in-law. “Medical results have concluded that [Robert] had a TBI, traumatic brain injury, that was caused by our own military, not by being in war. His brain was not healthy, and no one knew.”
Card was part of the U.S. Army Reserve. James Herling said his wife Nicole repeatedly called the military because she was concerned his mental health would be a problem during training drills.
“Despite leaving numerous voicemails, none were returned,” said Nicole Herling. “The Department of Defense’s negligence regarding traumatic brain injury must be addressed.”
Later, Card was sent to a military hospital before being released. The Herlings said Card had begun to distance himself from the family.
“Although concerned, we assumed the best regarding of our healthcare system, and that if they were releasing him, they must have assessed him to be stable and safe,” added James Herling, as he talked before the commission.
As news of the mass shooting hit their family, so did a picture of the suspect.
“I shared it with [Nicole]. She looked at it, and was silent. Just seconds later, her brother Ryan called her. She said to me, it’s Ryan, and yelled to show her the picture again,” remembered James Herling.
Family says they got no help from law enforcement
Nicole Herling called the police to identify her brother Robert as the suspect. From then on, they said law enforcement was difficult to communicate with, and that they left them with no protection from numerous threats and media requests.
“We did not receive any protection, or any officer around in case [Robert] would have tried to contact us,” said James Herling, “Why was my family unable to access one patrol officer? It felt like our family didn’t matter, especially when others around the state were provided protection.”
Card was eventually found dead near a Lisbon recycling plant. The family claims they pushed police to further investigate that area because they believed it to be a likely hiding place.
“He had a gut feeling, and he knew where his brother was. Ryan knew his brother. If they had listened more clearly, this would have ended the search much sooner, preventing the fear and the chaos in our state,” continued James Herling.
Calls for change
In the future, the Cards want a place for military families to go when they have concerns, and a place they will be listened to. Card’s ex-wife Cara Lamb, who had a son with him, said she also struggled for a place to go after their son told her he was worried about his father’s mental health. Lamb said she tried to go to the school resource officer, because she was concerned that bringing the police to his home would cause more issues for Card.
“I am not sure that we have an appropriate place for those inappropriate questions. If I can’t hit anything else but that, that is the whole point of this,” encouraged Lamb.
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Why are astronauts stuck in space? Here’s how the Boeing Starliner crew ended up on the space station for months.
Two NASA astronauts who flew up to the International Space Station in a Boeing Starliner capsule for a round trip that was supposed to last just over a week will be stuck in space for closer to a year before they can come home. Despite the astronauts’ longer-than-expected stay at the space station, officials have insisted that Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore aren’t stranded in space.
Here’s what we know about the stuck astronauts:
Why are the astronauts stuck in space?
Williams and Wilmore blasted off to the space station in June. Their mission was supposed to take between eight and 10 days, but helium leaks in the capsule’s propulsion system and degraded thrusters, which are important for re-entry, upended plans for bringing the astronauts back to Earth.
“Eight days to eight months or nine months or 10 months, whatever it is, we’re going to do the very best job we can do every single day,” Wilmore told CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann in September. At the time, they were expected to leave the space station in late February 2025.
The capsule safely returned to Earth in September with no one onboard.
Who are the astronauts who are stuck in space?
Williams turned 59 on the space station in September. She joined NASA in 1998 after serving in the Navy for over a decade, retiring as a captain. As a naval aviator, she logged over 3,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. At NASA, she had set a record for women with four spacewalks lasting a total of 29 hours, 17 minutes, but it was broken by Peggy Whitson with her fifth spacewalk in 2008.
Wilmore also retired from the Navy as a captain, recording over 8,000 flight hours as a naval aviator. During Operation Desert Storm in Iraq in 1991, Wilmore flew 21 combat missions. He joined NASA in 2000 and accumulated 178 days in space before the Starliner mission. Like Williams, he has also performed four spacewalks, totaling 25 hours, 36 minutes.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images
Why did the Boeing Starliner crew go to the International Space Station in the first place?
The June launch was the Starliner’s first piloted test flight. NASA has funded the development of the capsule and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon as the space agency looks to stop using Russian Soyuz flights to transport astronauts to and from the space station.
When will the astronauts be able to return to Earth?
On Tuesday, Dec. 17, NASA announced Williams and Wilmore would return to Earth after the agency’s new SpaceX crew arrives at the space station. That won’t happen until late March at the earliest so NASA and SpaceX can have more time to finish a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission, NASA said.
Have other astronauts been stuck in the International Space Station before?
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and two cosmonauts’ six-month stay on the space station was unexpectedly extended to a year after their Soyuz ship became disabled. A replacement had to be launched up to the trio so they could return to Earth in 2023.
contributed to this report.
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Why are astronauts stuck in space? Here’s how the Boeing Starliner crew ended up on the space station for months.
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Why are astronauts stuck in space? Here’s how the Boeing Starliner crew ended up on the space station for months.
Walz-Flanagan partnership on ice since governor’s failed vice presidential bid