Commission questions Maine police officers about response to mass shooting
Independent board set up to examine law enforcement's efforts to track down shooter
Independent board set up to examine law enforcement's efforts to track down shooter
Independent board set up to examine law enforcement's efforts to track down shooter
The independent commission that is gathering facts in the wake of the Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting is hearing from law enforcement officials.
Investigators said Robert Card killed 18 people and wounded 13 others in shootings at a bowling alley and a bar in October.
The commission questioned Lisbon and Lewiston officers Thursday afternoon about the investigation and the search for Card.
"I caught a glimpse of something, again, looking for anything out of the ordinary," Lisbon Sgt. Nathan Morse said. "I turned around and confirmed it was the vehicle."
The questioning started with information about the Lisbon boat launch where Card's car was found. First responders said an officer used their cruiser to light the area rather than enter it.
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A New Hampshire State Police helicopter lit the area from above, and a Lisbon detective said he heard the chief communicating with the helicopter about where to go.
The commission also asked questions about the walking trail next to the boat launch that officers said was roughly a mile from Maine Recycling, where Card was found dead days later.
Later that night, three Lisbon officers did a cursory search of the recycling site while out patrolling.
"We had the information that he, Robert Card, had worked at Maine Recycling," Lisbon Officer Renee Bernard said.
She said police searched for less than 10 minutes, looking under and in between the trailers and shining a light in the trailers that were already open. They didn't search the closed trailers because they weren't prepared should Card be armed inside.
"The information we had was that he was possibly armed with both thermal or night scopes," Bernard said. "So, we didn't spend a lot of time. We weren't properly prepared for that. We didn't spend time opening doors."
The commission also questioned how the different law enforcement agencies communicated, how officers were briefed when coming in to search and what instructions they were given throughout the night.