Letter left by Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card was suicide note, reports say
A letter penned by Robert Card, an Army Reservist accused of killing 18 people in shootings at a Maine bowling alley and bar, appears to be a suicide note of sorts, according to several reports.
Maine Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Sauschuck on Friday confirmed investigators discovered the letter during a search of a Bowdoin residence that has been linked to 40-year-old Card. He declined to provide further details, but a law enforcement source told CNN it appeared the suspected shooter did not expect to be alive by the time it was found.
Reportedly addressed to Card’s son, the note included instructions on how to dispose of certain items in addition to lengthy rants. Its also detailed information about Card’s bank accounts, ABC News reported.
Officers across multiple agencies have been on the hunt for Card since Wednesday night, when he allegedly opened fire inside Just-In-Time Recreation. Police said he shot and killed seven people at the bowling alley — a woman and six men — before targeting Schemengees Bar and Grille, a popular restaurant just four miles away. When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered one man dead from a gunshot outside the eatery and another seven bodies inside.
Three more people were taken to area hospitals, where they were pronounced dead shortly after the mass shooting.
In the days since, authorities have homed in on the Androscoggin River, specifically near the Lisbon boat launch, where Card’s white Subaru was found abandoned. Inside, they discovered a .308-caliber AR-15 rifle, though its unclear whether it was the firearm used in the pair of shootings. Police said Card also owns a 15-foot boat, typically docked at the launch, which has not yet been found.
Card’s suicide note is in part why the investigation has shifted to the waterway, per CNN’s source. According to a Maine law enforcement bulletin, Card had been struggling with mental health issues in recent months. Over the summer he was committed for two weeks after he reported hearing voices and threatened to shoot up the army base, where he’d been assigned.
The U.S. Army Reserves confirmed Card enlisted in 2002 and served as a petroleum supply specialist. He does not have any combat deployments.
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