Lewiston shootings: Thousands of pages of documents released related to shooting, response

LEWISTON, Maine — On Friday, the Maine Department of Public Safety released thousands of pages of documents detailing the deadly shooting and response in Lewiston, Maine, in October 2023.

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The documents include reports from the Maine State Police and other law enforcement agencies, WMTW reported.

Some of the documents detail when officers arrived at the two shooting scenes, The Associated Press reported. This included not knowing if the shooter was still there and information about victims and survivors. It provided officer’s firsthand accounts.

The documents detailed the response that included 16 SWAT team and officers from 14 different agencies, State Police Lt. Tyler Stevenson wrote, according to the AP. Eight helicopters and additional airplanes and an underwater recovery team were also used.

The documents also reportedly include what the FBI knew about the shooter, Robert Card, during their two-day manhunt, WMTW reported. They also had new information about his mental state on the day of the shooting and where he was before the shooting.

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The documents were released because of the Freedom of Access Act requests that the AP and other outlets made.

Card left a note behind that was included in the documents that said he wanted to be left alone, the Portland Press Herald reported, according to the AP. The note also had his phone password and other account passwords.

The documents were released as a final report from the independent commission is expected, WMTW reported. That report is believed to be the final one that will go over the shooting and the circumstances around it.

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Card allegedly opened fire in a bowling alley and bar on Oct. 25. Eighteen people were killed and more than a dozen were injured.

Card was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the AP reported. He was found two days after a search.

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Lewiston shootings Police respond to an active shooter situation in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty) (Robert F. Bukaty/AP)

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