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Five family members of Lewiston shooting victims and one survivor were on Capitol Hill last week, calling for independent military review of the tragedy that claimed 18 lives and injured 13. Maine’s federal lawmakers agree with them, and the Army Inspector General needs to reach the same conclusion.
The Lewiston shooter, Robert R. Card II, was a member of the U.S. Army Reserve. His fellow soldiers worried about his mental health. He was barred by the military from handling weapons and live ammunition more than two months before the Oct. 25 shooting. He spent time in a mental health facility in New York this summer after erratic behavior.
And yet, he was still allowed to keep and obtain guns in civilian life. Questions remain about military and other agency actions and information related to Card, his mental health, his access to guns, and other details. The shooting victims, survivors and their families all deserve answers. In a way, so do all Americans. Card is not the first current or former servicemember to commit a horrific act of violence like this, and the military has a responsibility to other families and other communities to help understand what happened and ensure that this does not happen again.
The Army Reserves have initiated an internal review, but as outlined in a letter from Maine’s congressional delegation, that administrative review falls short of the comprehensive and independent investigation necessary in this case.
The importance of independent, comprehensive review cannot be overstated in this case. When systems and agencies have seemingly failed to share and act on information, review of those apparent failures should be taken outside of that administrative process. This is critical to the integrity, both functional and perviced, of the review.
Such an independent review is already underway at the state level, and the U.S. military needs to participate in that state-driven fact-finding effort as well. Hopefully this involvement will not require subpoenas, but the state commission should be empowered with this ability in case it is needed.
Regardless of the state review, however, the Army Inspector General should launch its own comprehensive review of the facts. Frankly, why have an inspector general if not to investigate an event like this, and the many missed signs that seemingly contributed to it?
“We’re going to hammer the heck out of anyone that doesn’t stand with us,” Leroy Walker, whose son Joe Walker was shot and killed at Schemengees Bar and Grille on Oct. 25, said last Thursday. “… Someone has to make sure these laws are enforced and make sure nobody can do that again.”
We stand with them on this call for independent investigations. The Maine congressional delegation stands with them. The Inspector General of the Army needs to stand with them, too.
“We believe it is imperative that you, as the Inspector General of the Army, conduct an investigation separate from the ongoing administrative review conducted pursuant to the Army’s Suicide Prevention Program regulations. This tragedy warrants a much broader, independent inquiry,” Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Angus King, Rep. Chellie Pingree and Rep. Jared Golden wrote in their letter to the Army Inspector General. The Secretary of Defense and Department of Defense Inspector General were also included. “We must work to fully understand what happened — and what could have been done differently that might have prevented the Lewiston shooting — on the local, state, and federal levels. We must also give the American people confidence that the investigation is comprehensive and unbiased.”
We hope the Army will listen to these Maine officials. But more importantly, we hope they will listen to the survivors and family members.
“We can’t start our healing journey until we have all the information,” said Elizabeth Seal, whose husband Josh Seal was also shot and killed at Schemengees.
These needed investigations, ultimately, are starting points in what state and federal officials owe these families. They are also owed action to help prevent future tragedies like this. That requires a baseline and comprehensive understanding of the facts, conducted in a way that earns public trust. As Elizabeth Seal also said, “words are just words.” Launching independent review is one step the military can and must take to ensure that words are followed by actions.