{"id":9572,"date":"2024-01-11T14:02:35","date_gmt":"2024-01-11T14:02:35","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","slug":"In-his-1st-interview-friend-who-warned-officials-of-Maine-shooter-says-\u2018I-literally-spelled-it-out\u2019-53663882\/","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/?p=9572","title":{"rendered":"Friend who warned officials of Maine shooter ahead of attack says \u2018I literally spelled it out\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"FILE
FILE – A police officer gives an order to the public during a manhunt for Robert Card at a farm following two mass shootings, Oct. 27, 2023, in Lisbon, Maine. Despite the warning by Card’s friend and fellow Army reservist Sean Hodgson, which came alongside a series of other glaring red flags, Army officials discounted the warnings and ultimately did not stop Card from committing Maine’s deadliest mass shooting when he killed multiple people in Lewiston. (AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty,…<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"EDS
EDS NOTE: OBSCENITY – In this cellphone text screenshot provided by Sean Hodgson, Hodgson shares his concerns about the condition of his friend and fellow Army reservist Robert Card with his Army supervisor. “I believe he’s going to snap and do a mass shooting,” Hodgson texted to his superior. He was right. Despite his efforts, which came alongside a series of other glaring red flags, Army officials discounted the warnings and ultimately did not stop Card from committing Maine’s…<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Law
Law enforcement personnel are staged in a school parking lot during a manhunt for Robert Card in the aftermath of a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 27, 2023. Despite the warning by Card’s friend and fellow Army reservist Sean Hodgson, which came alongside a series of other glaring red flags, Army officials discounted the warnings and ultimately did not stop Card from committing Maine’s deadliest mass shooting when he killed multiple people in Lewiston. (AP Photo\/Matt Rourke,…<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FILE
FILE – Law enforcement search a farm for the Army reservist Robert Card following deadly mass shootings, Oct. 27, 2023, in Lisbon, Maine. Despite the warning by Card’s friend and fellow Army reservist Sean Hodgson, which came alongside a series of other glaring red flags, Army officials discounted the warnings and ultimately did not stop Card from committing Maine’s deadliest mass shooting when he killed multiple people in Lewiston. (AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"Shooting
Shooting survivor Tammy Asselin clutches her face while reflecting on surviving a mass shooting by Army reservist Robert Card, during an interview, Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Despite the warning by Card’s friend and fellow Army reservist Sean Hodgson, which came alongside a series of other glaring red flags, Army officials discounted the warnings and ultimately did not stop Card from committing Maine’s deadliest mass shooting when he killed multiple people in October.<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FILE
FILE – Police tape cordons off the road to Schemengees Bar and Grille as law enforcement officers maintain their presence in the aftermath of a mass shooting by Army reservist Robert Card in Lewiston, Maine, Oct. 27, 2023. Despite the warning by Card’s friend and fellow Army reservist Sean Hodgson, which came alongside a series of other glaring red flags, Army officials discounted the warnings and ultimately did not stop Card from committing Maine’s deadliest mass shooting when he…<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FILE
FILE – This photo released by the Lewiston Maine Police Department shows Robert Card, who was responsible for the mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine, on Oct. 25, 2023. Despite the warning by Card’s friend and fellow Army reservist Sean Hodgson, which came alongside a series of other glaring red flags, Army officials discounted the warnings and ultimately did not stop Card from committing Maine’s deadliest mass shooting when he killed multiple people in Lewiston. (Lewiston Maine…<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\"FILE
FILE – Pictures of two of the victims of the October 2023 mass shooting by Army reservist Robert Card are seen at a makeshift memorial in Lewiston, Maine, Dec. 5, 2023. Despite the warning by Card’s friend and fellow Army reservist Sean Hodgson, which came alongside a series of other glaring red flags, Army officials discounted the warnings and ultimately did not stop Card from committing Maine’s deadliest mass shooting when he killed multiple people in Lewiston. (AP Photo\/Robert…<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>

Sean Hodgson watched and worried as his best friend of nearly two decades unraveled. His former roommate and fellow U.S. Army reservist\u2019s anger and paranoia were mounting, he had access to guns, and he refused to get help. So Hodgson did the hardest thing of his life: He sent a text about Robert Card to their Army supervisor.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe he\u2019s going to snap and do a mass shooting,\u201d he wrote on Sept. 15.<\/p>\n

Six weeks later, Card fatally shot 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston before killing himself. His body was found in a trailer after a two-day search and regionwide lockdown.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t in his head. I don\u2019t know exactly what went on,\u201d Hodgson told The Associated Press last week in an exclusive interview, his first since the Oct. 25 shootings. \u201cBut I do know I was right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The series of warning signs about Card have been well documented. In May, relatives warned police that Card had grown paranoid, and they expressed concern about his access to guns. In July, Card was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit for two weeks after shoving a fellow reservist and locking himself in a motel room. In August, the Army barred him from handling weapons while on duty and declared him nondeployable.<\/p>\n

And in September, Hodgson raised the most glaring red flag, telling authorities to change the passcode to the gate at their Army Reserve training facility and arm themselves if Card showed up.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease,\u201d he wrote. \u201cI believe he\u2019s messed up in the head.\u201d<\/p>\n

But authorities declined to confront Card \u2014 the clearest example of the missed opportunities to intervene and prevent the deadliest shooting in state history. That\u2019s hard to swallow for Hodgson, who\u2019s pushing back against an independent report for law enforcement that described him as \u201cover the top\u201d and \u201calarmist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did my job, and I went over and beyond it, and I literally spelled it out for them,\u201d said Hodgson, 43, referred to by only his last name in documents related to the case. \u201cI don\u2019t know how clear I could have gotten.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hodgson\u2019s account, taken together with law enforcement documents, videos and other interviews, provides the most comprehensive picture to date of potential missteps leading up to the attack.<\/p>\n

In replying to AP\u2019s questions about the investigation and Hodgson\u2019s warning, the Army Reserve said in a statement this week that no one should jump to conclusions until its own investigation and an independent probe by the Army inspector general are finalized.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny speculation at this point without having all the details could affect the outcome of the investigation. More details may become available once the investigation is complete,\u201d Lt. Col. Addie Leonhardt, Army Reserve spokesperson, said in the statement. Officials wouldn\u2019t comment further.<\/p>\n

Sheriff Joel Merry \u2014 of Sagadahoc County, where Card lived \u2014 didn\u2019t respond to AP\u2019s questions about whether Hodgson\u2019s warning was taken seriously enough but suggested a need for public policy changes. He previously said his office has been \u201cfully transparent\u201d and is cooperating with an independent commission appointed by the governor.<\/p>\n

Hodgson said he doesn\u2019t know where the failings occurred but believes more could have been done to help his friend and prevent tragedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand he did a horrific thing. I don\u2019t agree with it. But I loved him,\u201d he said. \u201d I didn\u2019t want any of this for anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018He pushed everybody away\u2019<\/h2>\n

For much of their friendship, Card was \u201cthe sensible one,\u201d Hodgson said. They met in 2006 in the Army Reserve and became especially close when they both divorced around the same time.<\/p>\n

When Hodgson was evicted from his New Hampshire apartment in 2022, Card told him to move to Maine, and they lived together for about a month, he said. When Card was hospitalized in New York in July, Hodgson was the one who drove him back to Maine.<\/p>\n

By then, Hodgson said, Card had begun venting to him about his belief that those around him were accusing him of being a pedophile. Hodgson believed some of Card\u2019s complaints were true \u2014 a case of mistaken identity stemming from the fact that another Robert Card is on the state\u2019s sex offender registry \u2014 and described an incident at the bowling alley when a father snatched his daughter away from Card after he offered the toddler a hello.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always believed him. I always stuck by him,\u201d Hodgson said. \u201cI am the closest one to Robert Card. Besides his mother, he pushed everybody away.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the last one he pushed away.\u201d<\/p>\n

In September, after a night out at the Oxford Casino, Card began \u201cflipping out,\u201d Hodgson said \u2014 pounding the steering wheel and almost crashing multiple times. After Hodgson begged him to pull over, he said, Card punched him in the face.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were having a good night, and he just snapped,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Hodgson told Card to drop him off at a gas station near his house.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love you, and I\u2019ll always be here for you no matter what,\u201d he said he told his friend as he got out of the car.<\/p>\n

Hodgson sent his text two days later, telling his training supervisor he feared what Card might do. He didn\u2019t speak to Card after that, he said, though they passed each other at work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took me a lot to report somebody I love,\u201d he said. \u201cBut when the hair starts standing up on the back of your neck, you have to listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018A grain of salt\u2019<\/h2>\n

After his text, Hodgson said, military officials followed up, asking whether Card threatened specific people. He told them he hadn\u2019t. But they didn\u2019t ask for help in approaching Card, he said, even though they drove trucks for the same company and he knew his friend\u2019s schedule and route.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could\u2019ve told them when he was at work, when he was at home, what hours he worked,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Authorities briefly staked out the Army Reserve Center and visited Card\u2019s home. They declined to confront him, fearing that would \u201cthrow a stick of dynamite on a pool of gas,\u201d according to video released last month by the Sagadahoc County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

In the videos, officials downplayed Hodgson\u2019s warning, suggesting he might have been drunk when he texted at 2:04 a.m. Speaking to police at the training center, Army Reserve Capt. Jeremy Reamer describes Hodgson as \u201cnot the most credible of our soldiers\u201d and later tells Sagadahoc Sheriff Sgt. Aaron Skolfield his message should be taken \u201cwith a grain of salt.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hodgson, who was unaware of those comments until contacted by AP, acknowledged in a series of interviews that he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol addiction but said he wasn\u2019t drinking that night and was awake because he works nights and was waiting for his boss to call.<\/p>\n

Hodgson also acknowledges that he faces two criminal charges, one alleging he assaulted a woman he was dating in 2022 and another alleging that he violated his bail conditions by possessing alcohol last month. He\u2019s also in hot water for wrecking a military vehicle last summer, he said. But he said authorities should have taken him more seriously given his relationship with Card, his past training on threat detection and mitigation, and his previous work as a security officer at a nuclear plant.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was the most difficult thing I ever had to do, was report him to command, and I did that. And for them to discredit me?\u201d he said. \u201cIt pisses me off because all they had to do is listen.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a text message this week, Reamer declined to comment on questions from AP and referred them to Army Reserve public affairs officers.<\/p>\n

According to the independent review for the Sagadahoc County Sheriff\u2019s Office, officers didn\u2019t have sufficient grounds the day they staked out Card\u2019s house to force the issue and take him into protective custody after he refused to answer the door. That step is necessary to trigger Maine\u2019s \u201cyellow flag\u201d law. It allows a judge to temporarily remove someone\u2019s guns during a psychiatric health crisis.<\/p>\n

But Stephanie Sherman, an attorney who\u2019s represented several families of survivors of the 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, said police had more than enough information to take to a local judge.<\/p>\n

The videos show officers with a disturbingly casual approach to the threat Card posed, Sherman said. She also noted that Skolfield referred to the Cards as a \u201cbig family in this area\u201d and said he didn\u2019t want to publicize over police radio that officers were visiting the home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was sort of balancing the safety of the public versus this family\u2019s reputation,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that should not be a factor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching the videos was gut-wrenching for Tammy Asselin, who became separated from her 10-year-old daughter during the chaos of the bowling alley shooting. She said it was the first time she knew for sure that steps could have been taken to prevent the massacre.<\/p>\n

\u201cListening to that interaction between the military and the sheriff, it hurt me to hear the giggle and the laughter in their voice,\u201d Asselin said, a tear running down her cheek. \u201cBecause I don\u2019t think they would be giggling and laughing had they been the ones in my shoes that day, not knowing where their daughter was.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anger, regret<\/h2>\n

For weeks after sending the text about Card to their supervisor, Hodgson said he prayed that it wouldn\u2019t come true. But as soon as he heard about the shooting, he called his sergeant.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe in coincidences,\u201d he said he told him. \u201cI know it\u2019s Robert Card.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hodgson was driving to Massachusetts for work that day. He fielded phone calls to and from multiple law enforcement agencies that didn\u2019t seem to be communicating with one another, he said.<\/p>\n

He said he told authorities right away that Card likely was headed to the Maine Recycling Corp.<\/p>\n

Card had worked there, and it wasn\u2019t far from the boat launch where his car was found after the shootings. His body would eventually be found there, after initial unsuccessful searches that critics said were too cautious.<\/p>\n

More than two months later, Hodgson said, he hates that Card \u201ctook the easy way out\u201d and isn\u2019t around to answer questions or face the consequences of what he did. It\u2019s not the Robert Card he knew and loved for 17 years, he said, and he struggles with that every day.<\/p>\n

Hodgson said he wants people to know he did everything he could to save lives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how to express to people how much I loved him, how much I cared about him,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd how much I hate what he did.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sean Hodgson watched and worried as his best friend of nearly two decades unraveled. His former roommate and fellow U.S. Army reservist\u2019s anger and paranoia were mounting, he had access to guns, and he refused to get help. So Hodgson did the hardest…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":9573,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_newspack_byline_active":true,"_newspack_byline":"by [Author id=4]Holly Ramer[\/Author] Associated Press, [Author id=461]Nick Perry[\/Author] Associated Press, and [Author id=150]David Sharp[\/Author] Associated Press","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[504,13],"tags":[24,505],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[539,542,569],"class_list":["post-9572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-centerpiece-2-cm","category-police-fire-courts","tag-facebook","tag-paywall","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/42669034-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9572","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9572"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9572\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9574,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9572\/revisions\/9574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9573"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9572"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9572"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9572"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fnewspack_spnsrs_tax&post=9572"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nne-concord-monitor-2.newspackstaging.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcoauthors&post=9572"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}