- Card’s body was found in the back of an industrial tractor trailer
- The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound
- Officials admitted on Saturday that they had ‘cleared’ the area twice before
The Maine mass shooter’s body was discovered from the back of an industrial tractor trailer in an area that investigators admitted they had previously “cleared” twice.
Robert Card, 40, was found on Friday evening around 7pm by a recycling plant where he was recently laid off.
Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck revealed at a press conference Saturday morning that the manhunt searched the factory twice but failed to realize there was a crowded parking lot where Card was ultimately found.
He added that the search only returned to the area at the direction of the recycling plant manager.
Sauschuck added that the manhunt, which lasted more than 48 hours, received 821 tips from the public as residents were terrified when he was at large.
Maine Public Safety Commissioner Mike Sauschuck revealed at a press conference Saturday morning that the manhunt searched the factory twice but failed to realize there was a crowded parking lot where Card was ultimately found.
Card’s body was discovered in the back of an industrial tractor trailer near a recycling plant where he was recently laid off
Officials admitted they “cleared” the area where the body was found twice before finally finding him
Army Reservist Robert Card, 40, killed 18 people and injured 13 others in a horrific mass shooting on Wednesday evening
Much of the investigation focused on possible motives for the massacre that killed 18 people, citing Card’s history of mental illness after previously reporting hearing voices.
But Sauschuck seemed to dismiss this as the main reason, arguing that he knows many local police officers with mental health diagnoses who pose no danger to their community.
“That’s something that’s incredibly important to say and for me to say, and I find myself saying it regularly just because there seems to be a health connection in this scenario,” he continued.
“The great, great, great majority of people with a health diagnosis will never hurt anyone. They won’t hurt themselves. They pose no danger to the community.
‘Based on the percentages alone, there are a number of people here who have a health diagnosis. I know law enforcement officers who have a health diagnosis, but that does not mean they are a danger to the community.”
Sauschuck confirmed that police found a firearm in Card’s vehicle when it was discovered hours after the mass shooting, but declined to elaborate on the make of the weapon other than describing it as a “long gun.”
Police have been criticized by some in the wake of the discovery of Card’s body, which Sauschuick seemed to acknowledge when he said he would spend “the rest of my life” wondering how the manhunt developed.
Police monitor the scene near the recycling plant in Lisbon, Maine after the Body of Robert card is found
Officials plan to open mental health centers and trauma centers in the area, including a public facility for those not directly affected by the massacre but affected by the traumatic incident.
As the manhunt was underway, a search of a property associated with Card led investigators to find a suicide note inside.
Sauschuck said the note was not “explicitly” a suicide note, but that the “tone” of the letter was intended to be read after he was already dead.
He added that it included aspects common in suicide notes, including how to access Card’s bank account and phone.
