LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Sean Hodgson watched and fearful as his greatest pal of practically 20 years unraveled. His former roommate and fellow U.S. Military reservist’s anger and paranoia have been mounting, he had entry to weapons, and he refused to get assist. So Hodgson did the toughest factor of his life: He despatched a textual content about Robert Card to their Military supervisor.
“I imagine he’s going to snap and do a mass taking pictures,” he wrote on Sept. 15.
Six weeks later, Card fatally shot 18 folks at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston earlier than killing himself. His physique was present in a trailer after a two-day search and regionwide lockdown.
“I wasn’t in his head. I don’t know precisely what went on,” Hodgson informed The Related Press final week in an unique interview, his first for the reason that Oct. 25 shootings. “However I do know I used to be proper.”
Joe Raedle by way of Getty Photographs
The collection of warning indicators about Card have been properly documented. In Could, family members warned police that Card had grown paranoid, they usually expressed concern about his entry to weapons. In July, Card was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit for 2 weeks after shoving a fellow reservist and locking himself in a motel room. In August, the Military barred him from dealing with weapons whereas on responsibility and declared him nondeployable.
And in September, Hodgson raised probably the most obtrusive crimson flag, telling authorities to alter the passcode to the gate at their Military Reserve coaching facility and arm themselves if Card confirmed up.
“Please,” he wrote. “I imagine he’s tousled within the head.”
However authorities declined to confront Card — the clearest instance of the missed alternatives to intervene and stop the deadliest taking pictures in state historical past. That’s exhausting to swallow for Hodgson, who’s pushing again towards an impartial report for regulation enforcement that described him as “excessive” and “alarmist.”
“I did my job, and I went over and past it, and I actually spelled it out for them,” mentioned Hodgson, 43, referred to by solely his final title in paperwork associated to the case. “I don’t understand how clear I may have gotten.”
Hodgson’s account, taken along with regulation enforcement paperwork, movies and different interviews, gives probably the most complete image thus far of potential missteps main as much as the assault.
In replying to AP’s questions concerning the investigation and Hodgson’s warning, the Military Reserve mentioned in a press release this week that nobody ought to leap to conclusions till its personal investigation and an impartial probe by the Military inspector normal are finalized.
“Any hypothesis at this level with out having all the small print may have an effect on the end result of the investigation. Extra particulars could grow to be obtainable as soon as the investigation is full,” Lt. Col. Addie Leonhardt, Military Reserve spokesperson, mentioned within the assertion. Officers wouldn’t remark additional.
Sheriff Joel Merry — of Sagadahoc County, the place Card lived — didn’t reply to AP’s questions on whether or not Hodgson’s warning was taken severely sufficient however steered a necessity for public coverage adjustments. He beforehand mentioned his workplace has been “totally clear” and is cooperating with an impartial fee appointed by the governor.
Hodgson mentioned he doesn’t know the place the failings occurred however believes extra may have been finished to assist his pal and stop tragedy.
“I perceive he did a horrific factor. I don’t agree with it. However I liked him,” he mentioned. “ I didn’t need any of this for anyone.”
For a lot of their friendship, Card was “the smart one,” Hodgson mentioned. They met in 2006 within the Military Reserve and have become particularly shut after they each divorced across the similar time.
When Hodgson was evicted from his New Hampshire residence in 2022, Card informed him to maneuver to Maine, they usually lived collectively for a couple of month, he mentioned. When Card was hospitalized in New York in July, Hodgson was the one who drove him again to Maine.
By then, Hodgson mentioned, Card had begun venting to him about his perception that these round him have been accusing him of being a pedophile. Hodgson believed a few of Card’s complaints have been true — a case of mistaken id stemming from the truth that one other Robert Card is on the state’s intercourse offender registry — and described an incident on the bowling alley when a father snatched his daughter away from Card after he supplied the toddler a hi there.
“I all the time believed him. I all the time caught by him,” Hodgson mentioned. “I’m the closest one to Robert Card. Apart from his mom, he pushed all people away.
“I used to be the final one he pushed away.”
In September, after an evening out on the Oxford On line casino, Card started “flipping out,” Hodgson mentioned — pounding the steering wheel and nearly crashing a number of occasions. After Hodgson begged him to drag over, he mentioned, Card punched him within the face.
“We have been having night time, and he simply snapped,” he mentioned.
Hodgson informed Card to drop him off at a gasoline station close to his home.
“I really like you, and I’ll all the time be right here for you it doesn’t matter what,” he mentioned he informed his pal as he acquired out of the automobile.
Hodgson despatched his textual content two days later, telling his coaching supervisor he feared what Card would possibly do. He didn’t communicate to Card after that, he mentioned, although they handed one another at work.
“It took me quite a bit to report anyone I really like,” he mentioned. “However when the hair begins standing up on the again of your neck, it’s important to pay attention.”
After his textual content, Hodgson mentioned, navy officers adopted up, asking whether or not Card threatened particular folks. He informed them he hadn’t. However they didn’t ask for assist in approaching Card, he mentioned, although they drove vans for a similar firm and he knew his pal’s schedule and route.
“I may’ve informed them when he was at work, when he was at house, what hours he labored,” he mentioned.
Authorities briefly staked out the Military Reserve Middle and visited Card’s house. They declined to confront him, fearing that may “throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of gasoline,” in accordance with video launched final month by the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Joe Raedle by way of Getty Photographs
Within the movies, officers downplayed Hodgson’s warning, suggesting he may need been drunk when he texted at 2:04 a.m. Chatting with police on the coaching middle, Military Reserve Capt. Jeremy Reamer describes Hodgson as “not probably the most credible of our troopers” and later tells Sagadahoc Sheriff Sgt. Aaron Skolfield his message needs to be taken “with a grain of salt.”
Hodgson, who was unaware of these feedback till contacted by AP, acknowledged in a collection of interviews that he struggles with post-traumatic stress dysfunction and alcohol dependancy however mentioned he wasn’t ingesting that night time and was awake as a result of he works nights and was ready for his boss to name.
Hodgson additionally acknowledges that he faces two felony fees, one alleging he assaulted a lady he was courting in 2022 and one other alleging that he violated his bail circumstances by possessing alcohol final month. He’s additionally in sizzling water for wrecking a navy automobile final summer time, he mentioned. However he mentioned authorities ought to have taken him extra severely given his relationship with Card, his previous coaching on risk detection and mitigation, and his earlier work as a safety officer at a nuclear plant.
“That was probably the most troublesome factor I ever needed to do, was report him to command, and I did that. And for them to discredit me?” he mentioned. “It pisses me off as a result of all they needed to do is pay attention.”
In a textual content message this week, Reamer declined to touch upon questions from AP and referred them to Military Reserve public affairs officers.
Boston Globe by way of Getty Photographs
In keeping with the impartial evaluation for the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Workplace, officers didn’t have enough grounds the day they staked out Card’s home to pressure the difficulty and take him into protecting custody after he refused to reply the door. That step is important to set off Maine’s “yellow flag” regulation. It permits a decide to briefly take away somebody’s weapons throughout a psychiatric well being disaster.
However Stephanie Sherman, an lawyer who’s represented a number of households of survivors of the 2022 mass taking pictures at an elementary college in Uvalde, Texas, mentioned police had greater than sufficient data to take to an area decide.
The movies present officers with a disturbingly informal method to the risk Card posed, Sherman mentioned. She additionally famous that Skolfield referred to the Playing cards as a “huge household on this space” and mentioned he didn’t need to publicize over police radio that officers have been visiting the house.
“It was form of balancing the protection of the general public versus this household’s popularity,” she mentioned. “And that shouldn’t be an element.”
Watching the movies was gut-wrenching for Tammy Asselin, who turned separated from her 10-year-old daughter through the chaos of the bowling alley taking pictures. She mentioned it was the primary time she knew for positive that steps may have been taken to forestall the bloodbath.
“Listening to that interplay between the navy and the sheriff, it damage me to listen to the giggle and the laughter of their voice,” Asselin mentioned, a tear operating down her cheek. “As a result of I don’t suppose they might be laughing and laughing had they been those in my sneakers that day, not understanding the place their daughter was.”
For weeks after sending the textual content about Card to their supervisor, Hodgson mentioned he prayed that it wouldn’t come true. However as quickly as he heard concerning the taking pictures, he referred to as his sergeant.
“I don’t imagine in coincidences,” he mentioned he informed him. “I do know it’s Robert Card.”
Hodgson was driving to Massachusetts for work that day. He fielded cellphone calls to and from a number of regulation enforcement companies that didn’t appear to be speaking with each other, he mentioned.
He mentioned he informed authorities immediately that Card seemingly was headed to the Maine Recycling Corp.
Card had labored there, and it wasn’t removed from the boat launch the place his automobile was discovered after the shootings. His physique would ultimately be discovered there, after preliminary unsuccessful searches that critics mentioned have been too cautious.
Greater than two months later, Hodgson mentioned, he hates that Card “took the simple method out” and isn’t round to reply questions or face the implications of what he did. It’s not the Robert Card he knew and liked for 17 years, he mentioned, and he struggles with that each day.
Hodgson mentioned he needs folks to know he did all the pieces he may to save lots of lives.
“I don’t know how you can categorical to folks how a lot I liked him, how a lot I cared about him,” he mentioned. “And the way a lot I hate what he did.”