Robert Card and the 2023 Lewiston Mass Shooting
Overview
Robert Russell Card II was responsible for the October 25, 2023, mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, that killed 18 people and wounded 13 others. Card attacked two public gathering places within approximately 15 minutes: Just-In-Time Recreation, a bowling alley hosting a youth bowling league, and Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant, where patrons were participating in a cornhole tournament. The shootings became the deadliest act of mass murder in Maine history.
Card was 40 years old and lived in Bowdoin, Maine. He had served in the United States Army Reserve since December 2002 and held the rank of sergeant first class. Although he had military experience and had worked with a unit that trained cadets in the use of hand grenades, the Army later clarified that he was not a trained military firearms instructor and had never been deployed to a combat zone.
Warning Signs Before the Massacre
During the months preceding the shooting, Card's relatives and fellow Army reservists reported a dramatic deterioration in his behavior. Family members told authorities that he had become increasingly paranoid and believed people were making insulting statements about him. He reportedly claimed that he could hear individuals accusing him of being a pedophile and believed that these statements were being repeated at businesses he visited.
In May 2023, members of Card's family contacted the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office and expressed concern about his mental condition and access to firearms. His behavior became more alarming during military training near the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in July 2023. Fellow reservists reported that he was acting erratically and making threatening statements.
New York State Police transported Card to an Army hospital for evaluation. He was subsequently admitted to a psychiatric facility for approximately two weeks. Medical personnel prescribed medication, but Card reportedly stopped taking it after his release. The Army restricted him from handling military weapons and declared him nondeployable.
In September 2023, one of Card's fellow soldiers sent an explicit warning that he believed Card was going to lose control and carry out a mass shooting. The soldier described Card as armed, dangerous and capable of attacking the Army Reserve facility in Saco, Maine. Deputies attempted to conduct wellness checks at Card's residence but did not make direct contact with him. His privately owned firearms were not removed.
The Shooting at Just-In-Time Recreation
At approximately 6:54 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 2023, Card entered Just-In-Time Recreation on Mollison Way in Lewiston. The bowling alley was busy with families, employees and members of a youth bowling league. Surveillance images showed Card carrying a semiautomatic rifle.
Card opened fire shortly after entering the building. His rifle initially malfunctioned, briefly interrupting the attack. Michael Deslauriers II and Jason Walker attempted to confront and disarm him while others fled or hid. Both men were killed during their effort to stop the gunman.
The attack inside the bowling alley lasted less than one minute. Card fired multiple rounds before leaving the building. Seven people were killed at the bowling alley, including 14-year-old Aaron Young, his father William Young, and Robert and Lucille Violette, a married couple closely associated with the local bowling community. Several other people were wounded.
The Shooting at Schemengees Bar & Grille
Card drove approximately four miles to Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant on Lincoln Street. At about 7:07 p.m., he entered the establishment and began shooting. The restaurant was hosting a cornhole event that included members of Maine's Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Card moved toward the area where the cornhole players had gathered and continued firing. Four members of the Deaf community were among those killed. Restaurant manager Joseph Walker attempted to confront Card and was fatally shot. A patron reportedly shut off the building's electrical power while Card was reloading, creating darkness that allowed some people to escape or conceal themselves.
Card fired dozens of rounds inside and around Schemengees before leaving through a side exit. Eight victims died at the restaurant, while three additional victims from the two shooting scenes later died after being transported for emergency medical treatment. Ten people were wounded at or near Schemengees.
Victims
- Tricia C. Asselin, 53 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston, Maine. Asselin worked at the bowling alley and was reportedly trying to contact emergency services when she was shot.
- William Frank Brackett, 48 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille in Lewiston. Brackett was a member of Maine's Deaf community and was participating in the cornhole gathering.
- Peyton Brewer-Ross, 40 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Brewer-Ross was a pipefitter and the father of a young child.
- Thomas Ryan Conrad, 34 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation. Conrad was participating in the bowling activities when Card attacked.
- Michael R. Deslauriers II, 51 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation. Deslauriers and Jason Walker attempted to confront Card after the gunman's rifle malfunctioned.
- Maxx A. Hathaway, 35 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Hathaway was remembered by relatives as a devoted father and family member.
- Bryan M. MacFarlane, 41 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. MacFarlane was a member of the Deaf community and was attending the cornhole event.
- Keith D. Macneir, 64 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Macneir had been visiting Maine when he went to the restaurant.
- Ronald G. Morin, 55 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Morin was remembered as a husband, father and grandfather with a humorous personality.
- Joshua A. Seal, 36 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Seal was a prominent American Sign Language interpreter and an advocate for Maine's Deaf community.
- Arthur Fred Strout, 42 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Strout had been spending the evening at the restaurant with his father and other patrons.
- Lucille M. Violette, 73 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation. She was at the bowling alley with her husband, Robert Violette.
- Robert E. Violette, 76 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation. Violette volunteered as a coach for the youth bowling league and was helping young bowlers on the night of the attack.
- Stephen M. Vozzella, 45 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Vozzella was a member of the Deaf community and was participating in the cornhole tournament.
- Jason Adam Walker, 51 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation. Walker and Michael Deslauriers II attempted to rush and disarm Card during the shooting.
- Joseph Lawrence Walker, 57 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Schemengees Bar & Grille. Walker was the restaurant's manager and attempted to confront the gunman during the attack.
- Aaron Young, 14 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation. Aaron was participating in the youth bowling league and died alongside his father, William Young.
- William “Bill” Young, 44 — Killed on October 25, 2023, at Just-In-Time Recreation. Young had brought his 14-year-old son, Aaron, to the bowling alley for the youth league event.
Escape and Manhunt
After leaving Schemengees, Card fled Lewiston in a white Subaru Outback. Police issued emergency alerts describing him as armed and dangerous. Photographs taken from the bowling alley's surveillance system were distributed publicly, and members of Card's family quickly contacted investigators after recognizing him.
Card's abandoned vehicle was found later that night near a boat launch in Lisbon, Maine. The discovery led investigators to search the Androscoggin River, nearby woods, roads, residences and industrial properties. Residents of Lewiston, Lisbon, Bowdoin and surrounding communities were ordered to shelter indoors. Schools, government buildings and businesses closed as hundreds of local, state and federal officers participated in the search.
Authorities obtained an arrest warrant charging Card with murder. Police searched his residence and examined notes and other evidence as they attempted to determine his destination and motive. The search continued for approximately two days and became one of the largest manhunts in Maine history.
Discovery of Robert Card's Body
At approximately 7:45 p.m. on October 27, 2023, investigators found Card dead inside a box trailer near the Maine Recycling Corporation property in Lisbon, where he had previously worked. He had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.
Card's body was discovered only several miles from where police had located his abandoned vehicle. Authorities determined that the trailer was in an area of the recycling property that had not been fully examined during an earlier search. His death ended the manhunt without an arrest or criminal trial.
Motive and Medical Findings
Investigators did not establish a single rational motive for the massacre. Evidence indicated that Card had developed intense paranoid beliefs and thought people at businesses he frequented were discussing and humiliating him. Schemengees was among the locations connected to those delusions. His beliefs were not supported by evidence.
After Card's death, his brain tissue was examined by specialists at Boston University's Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center. The examination identified extensive damage to white matter, injured nerve fibers, scarring and inflammation. Researchers said the pattern was consistent with damage that could result from repeated exposure to explosive blasts.
Card had spent years assisting with grenade-training exercises for Army cadets, potentially exposing him to numerous low-level explosions. The findings did not excuse his actions or prove that the brain damage alone caused the shootings. They did, however, provide possible medical context for the severe behavioral and psychological changes observed during the final months of his life.
Official Investigations
An independent commission appointed by Maine Governor Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey investigated the circumstances surrounding the massacre. The commission examined Card's military history, psychiatric treatment, family warnings, law-enforcement contacts and the emergency response on October 25.
The commission concluded that the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office had sufficient information before the shooting to take Card into protective custody and begin Maine's yellow-flag procedure. That process could have resulted in a medical evaluation and the temporary removal of his firearms. The commission also found that Card's Army Reserve unit missed several opportunities to share information and intervene more effectively.
The report emphasized that Robert Card alone was responsible for deliberately killing 18 people. At the same time, investigators found that better communication and stronger action by military and law-enforcement personnel might have altered the course of events. The findings prompted changes in training, threat reporting and the handling of armed individuals experiencing serious psychiatric crises.
Aftermath and Legacy
The Lewiston massacre devastated families throughout Maine and inflicted especially severe losses on the local bowling and Deaf communities. Memorial services, vigils and public ceremonies were held for the victims. The bowling alley and restaurant remained closed while survivors, employees and residents struggled with the physical and emotional consequences of the attack.
The shootings generated renewed debate over firearm-removal laws, military responsibility, mental-health intervention and communication between government agencies. Maine lawmakers later enacted changes intended to strengthen background checks, crisis-response procedures and access to mental-health treatment.
October 25, 2023, remains one of the darkest days in Maine history. The massacre is remembered primarily through the lives of the 18 people Card killed, the survivors who endured serious injuries and trauma, and the actions of victims who attempted to protect others during the attacks.
