# Active Shooter incident in Lewiston, Maine 10/25/2023 (found dead, presumed suicide) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Tags:** breaking-news\ **Created:** [October 26, 2023, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109 "2023-10-26T01:08:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/163 "2023-10-28T17:31:45Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > So it looks like he crawled into one of the trailers at the recycling center, all the way in the back and did himself in. The cops had searched the area twice but never found his body. So the trailer must have had some recyclable material in it that he could hide in. Probably muffled the sound of the gun. I wonder if he dogs led them there. It was about a mile walk. They must have used search dogs starting from the parked car and the car would have have plenty of scent to go on. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2023, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/164 "2023-10-28T20:34:24Z")
I saw a press conference today. It sounds like the recycling company had some trailers parked in their main lot, and a few more parked in a second lot nearby. When police searched the area before, they checked the trailers in the main lot but didn’t know about the second one. I think the company’s owner asked the police to search again, and made sure that they knew about the extra lot and trailers. That search led to finding the body. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/165 "2023-10-28T23:19:56Z")
I saw an article that said he had worked at, and recently been fired from, the recycling center. If so, he may have had access LEO wouldn’t have expected. It’s also scary to think he might have been lying in wait to even a score, no wonder the manager asked them back. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2023, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/166 "2023-10-28T23:48:08Z")
I didn’t even think about that. It’s amazing he didn’t start there. The investigation is going to be interesting. Did he kill anyone he actually knew? Was he fired because he was acting strange like he was at West Point? I think there’s value in releasing the medical records of people who commit mass murder so people might recognize the signs sooner. I’m under the impression that it’s a lot harder to get someone committed who really needs it. If that’s true maybe we’ve gone too far. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2023, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/167 "2023-10-29T12:00:12Z")
This is the first active shooter incident where it was possible that I knew someone who might have been injured or killed, afaik. My undergrad is one of the other small liberal arts colleges in Maine, and I know people who work at Bates and live in Lewiston, though I live in Atlanta now. As far as I know, none of those I know are _directly_ affected by this, thankfully, but no one in Lewiston will have been unaffected. I’ve been looking to get back to New England if possible, and Bates is one of the places I’ve applied when they have positions open (I’m an academic librarian). The response of Bates College to this, in terms of how they communicated to employees and students, has not in any way made me take them off my list of potential workplaces, nor has anything about the situation in Lewiston. The [message from the new-this-fall college](https://emergency.bates.edu/2023/10/27/october-27-a-word-of-care-and-thanks/) president was excellent, but he was also clearly good about staying out of the way of the college’s emergency management team. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2023, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/168 "2023-10-30T20:50:02Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I didn’t even think about that. It’s amazing he didn’t start there. The investigation is going to be interesting. Did he kill anyone he actually knew? Was he fired because he was acting strange like he was at West Point? I think there’s value in releasing the medical records of people who commit mass murder so people might recognize the signs sooner. > > I’m under the impression that it’s a lot harder to get someone committed who really needs it. If that’s true maybe we’ve gone too far. It is extremely hard to get involuntarily committed. Short term commitments for 24-72 hours are less difficult but still not easy. I’ve had people in full blown crisis catch a cab back home for round two before we finished the paperwork. Be able to maintain some level of calm without making threats for a short period of time and you will be back out in no time. When people ask me about the most shocking or surprising thing I found when I became a cop and I will say how prevalent severe mental illness is. By that I don’t mean people with depression or anxiety. I mean full blown psychosis. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/169 "2023-10-31T03:17:15Z")
CNN has a disturbing report indicating that police officers, Card’s family, and even members of his Army reservist unit were concerned about him in the weeks leading up to the shooting, and that he’d been hearing voices and had been under a 14-day psychiatric hold. > **[Police tried to check on the Maine gunman over concerns he could ‘snap and...](https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/29/maine-shooting-robert-card-investigation/index.html)** > > The US Army asked local police to check on the reservist who killed 18 people after a soldier became concerned he would “snap and commit a mass shooting,” according to information shared with CNN. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/170 "2023-10-31T18:36:43Z")
I saw this on TV so no cite but they said the Army took away any military weapons he had and forbid his deployment anywhere. The police actively engaged his family in attempt to get his guns. They could not locate him. It’s a shame they couldn’t put him on a bulletin that gun dealers could look at and engage him with some questions to see if he seems unstable. A person doesn’t have to be banned to be refused service. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/171 "2023-10-31T20:03:28Z")
As a fuel pumper he didn’t routinely carry a weapon. Unlike what some may think soldiers don’t usually carry weapons unless actively training with them. He was in no danger of being deployed. His mental breakdown appeared to be a recent development. He’s been in since not long after 9/11 but never deployed. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/172 "2023-10-31T21:11:51Z")
This bit kind of caught my attention: > [@](#): > > Nearly three months before Wednesday’s attacks, the shooter tried to buy a firearm silencer from Coastal Defense Firearms in Auburn, Maine, but the owner of the store, Rick LaChapelle, refused to let him complete the purchase after he disclosed on a form that he had mental health issues, The New York Times reported. A slencer? Where are those legal, that you can just go into a store and buy one? ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/173 "2023-10-31T21:27:15Z")
They’re more heavily regulated than the default “accessory”, with additional fees, but they’re not federally banned. > **[Silencers » Maine Outdoor Sportsman](https://maineoutdoorsportsman.com/silencers/)** > > Yes, Silencers are Legal You do not need a license to purchase a silencer, but you do have to pay a one-time $200 tax for… Gives you a quick overview, in short they have similar requirements for buying a gun on it’s own (such as why they were ultimately denied the silencer), an additional fee above and beyond the cost of the firearm. There are actually several reasonable explanations for why you’d want to buy one (guns are LOUD) and the silencer does mitigate but not Hollywood style eliminate said noise. But there are additional state requirements and restrictions. For Maine specifically, from [a suppressor supporting site](https://www.silencershop.com/blog/post/suppressor-laws-by-state#me): > Silencers are legal in Maine. > > **Hunting?** Silencers are legal for hunting both game and non-game animals in Maine. > > **Relevant laws:** Signed into law in 2021, LD 635 (SP 249) repeals previous requirements for obtaining a permit before hunting with a silencer. I’m glad that prior to the shooting the deceased was honest enough to answer factually, and the seller was honest enough to deny him. I wish they had gotten the help they so obviously needed, or the PTB had protected both him and the victims better by removing their access to firearms. While I am a gun owner, I am not supporting a proliferation of silencers. So I am merely describing the requirements, and that there are indeed reasons for such things beyond attempting to do clandestine killings. Overall, I’d say that for silencers, the majority of the concerns about their use tends to have more to do with Hollywood than reality, but it’s not a completely irrational concern either. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/174 "2023-10-31T23:12:40Z")
That’s not what bothers me. The thing is … if you’re too crazy to have a silencer how can you not be too crazy to have a gun? ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/175 "2023-10-31T23:16:20Z")
because of the CONSTITUTION damnit!!! what are you - a commie??? /s ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/176 "2023-10-31T23:19:23Z")
It’s a fair cop. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/177 "2023-10-31T23:21:13Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > That’s not what bothers me. The thing is … if you’re too crazy to have a silencer how can you not be too crazy to have a gun? A silencer won’t protect you when a bear attacks, but a rifle might? I’m guessing. I’m also living in an area with no bears. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/178 "2023-10-31T23:23:43Z")
Well, I guess that’s just tough luck for crazy people in bear country. There other solutions. Don’t go into the woods with your bear musk cologne on. Only go outside when there are large crowds in the day light if you’re that petrified of bears … and any other thing you’re petrified of. Crazy people shouldn’t have guns and if it hampers their ability to protect themselves from bears … I don’t really give a shit. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/179 "2023-10-31T23:33:42Z")
Bring your Bear Repellent Bat Spray with you. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/180 "2023-10-31T23:46:02Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > The thing is … if you’re too crazy to have a silencer how can you not be too crazy to have a gun? > [@Yllaria](#): > > A silencer won’t protect you when a bear attacks, but a rifle might? You can make a valid argument that a gun can protect you. A silencer (or more accurately, a suppressor, they don’t really make a gun silent) isn’t going to do anything to help protect you. They are regulated differently, as are other gun accessories like high capacity magazines or devices that allow you to fire a gun faster. I’m sure there are many reasons for the differences in regulation but that’s probably a discussion for another thread. I will also suggest that it’s possible that Card may have purchased the gun some time ago, before he began to suffer from severe mental illness. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2023, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/181 "2023-10-31T23:57:54Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > A silencer (or more accurately, a suppressor, they don’t really make a gun silent) isn’t going to do anything to help protect you. What if I’m attacked by a bear in a library? ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2023, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109/182 "2023-11-01T00:03:50Z")
That cracked me up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/active-shooter-incident-in-lewiston-maine-10-25-2023-found-dead-presumed-suicide/992109.md?page=10)