Police statewide were warned about the alleged Maine mass shooter weeks before he massacred 18 people



Law enforcement officials across Maine received warnings that a deranged Bowdoin man might pose a threat to the public weeks before he allegedly massacred 18 people in Lewiston, then killed himself.

The alleged shooter was a sergeant with the Army Reserve's 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment, who recently lost his job at a recycling center. In the lead-up to his monstrous final episode, he also began hearing voices, which he blamed on his new hearing aid.

In mid-September, the Army Reserve tipped off Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry about "veiled threats" issued by the alleged shooter. Sheriff Merry, whose jurisdiction covers the alleged shooter's Bowdoin home, sent a deputy to the home but "couldn't locate him," reported the Associated Press.

While his deputy didn't have any luck, Merry figured others might, so he sent an alert to every law enforcement agency in Maine.

Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for the Maine Department of Public Safety, confirmed in conversation with the Boston Globe that the State Police Department along with "every other law enforcement agency in Maine" received Merry's alert.

The alert was apparently a common File 6 "blanket alert," which prompted officers to keep their eyes peeled but not to proactively search for the reservist. Sergeant Marc Marion of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department underscored the frequency with which such alerts are sent out, noting he'd received 25 such alerts just over the weekend.

"It’s important to note that mental health calls are a large portion of our call volume, so we get a lot of these," said Brunswick Police Chief Scott Stewart. "We take them all serious, but nothing stood out with this more than any other one that we get."

Moss said that "no bulletins or assistance was requested" in conjunction with the alert.

The FBI told the Associated Press that agents hadn't been looking at the alleged shooter prior to the massacre, noting the bureau "did not have nor did it receive any tips or information concerning" him.

It appears as though a July incident involving the alleged shooter failed to make the FBI's radar.

New York State Police officers were reportedly called on July 16 to West Point by his superior officers regarding his behavior and threats he had made against other reservists. As a result of the NYSP intervention, he underwent two weeks of mental health evaluation at the Kelly Army Community Hospital at the U.S. Military Academy.

Michael Sauschuck, the commissioner of the Maine Department of Public Safety, said that there was no evidence the alleged shooter had been involuntarily committed, which would have triggered an incident report for the military database and an alert to the FBI.

Maine's so-called "yellow-flag" law, whereby a mentally compromised individual can be forced to give up his guns if recognized by a judge as a threat, appears to have failed to stop the shooter.

"If in fact the suspect was hospitalized for two weeks for mental illness, that should have triggered the yellow-flag law and he should have been separated from his weapons," said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), reported Connecticut Public.

Extra to the September tip-off from the base, blasted statewide in turn by Sheriff Merry, the alleged shooter's sister-in-law Katie Card told NBC News the family reached out to police and the Army Reserve "to make sure everyone was on the same page, because he is someone who does gun training. ... We were concerned about his mental state."

The sister-in-law said that the alleged shooter, who had severe hearing loss, had allegedly been "picking up voices that he had never heard. ... His mind was twisting them around. He was humiliated by the things that he thought were being said."

"He was just very set in his belief that everyone was against him all of a sudden," she added.

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Maine Democrat who opposed gun control in Congress suddenly changes his mind — but leaves major questions unanswered



Democratic Rep. Jared Golden apologized to his Maine constituents on Thursday for previously not supporting gun control initiatives.

At a press conference, Golden called on Congress to pass an assault weapons ban and, citing his previous opposition to gun control, asked his neighbors for forgiveness.

"I have opposed efforts to ban deadly weapons of war, like the assault rifle used to carry out this crime," Golden said. "The time has now come for me to take responsibility for this failure, which is why I now call on the United States Congress to ban assault rifles like the one used by the sick perpetrator of this mass killing in my hometown of Lewiston."

The moderate Democrat — who had earned an A+ rating from Second Amendment advocacy groups — cited "misjudgments" for his previous opposition to gun control, including the desire to protect his family and community.

Now, he plans to fight hard for gun control.

"For the good of my community, I will work with any colleague to get this done in the time I have left in Congress," Golden promised. "To the people of Lewiston, my constituents throughout the district, to the families who lost loved ones, and to those who have been harmed, I ask for forgiveness and support as I seek to put an end to these terrible shootings."

Nomenclature issues aside — technically, "assault rifle" refers to fully automatic rifles, which are already outlawed except under special circumstances; Golden meant to say "assault weapon," which refers to scary-looking semiautomatic rifles — it's not clear how an assault weapons ban would have prevented Wednesday's atrocity.

Golden did not say how such a ban — or any other gun control measure, for that matter — would have prevented the killer from carrying out his attack. Moreover, Golden did not say why he suddenly now believes gun control measures would work.

These are important questions because — just as Golden pointed out last year — words mean little, while substantive action makes the real difference. And considering every American would like to see mass shootings end, it's even more important to ensure the government works on the correct solutions and does not just take action to say it acted.

Blaze Media reached out to Golden's office for an answer to these questions. A representative, however, did not return a response.

JUST IN: Susan Collins, Jared Golden Hold Press Briefing In Lewiston, Maine, After Mass Shooting www.youtube.com

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'He died as a hero': Families begin opening up about Maine massacre victims, including those who went down fighting



A gunman opened fire in a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston, Maine, Wednesday evening, slaughtering 18 people and grievously wounding 13 others. While authorities have waited to identify the victims, some family members have already begun to do so.

In addition to the names of the victims, stories of their heroism and defiance in the face of evil have begun to emerge.

Eight people were killed at Schemengees Bar and Grille, according to the Maine State Police. Among them was bar manager Joseph Walker.

Walker's dad, Leroy Walker, an Auburn city councilor, shared with NBC Nightly News what state police told his daughter-in-law, Tracey Walker, about the shooting.

The visibly devastated father indicated that after MSP told Joseph Walker's widow that he had been slain, they "went into telling her that he died as a hero because he picked up a butcher knife from somewhere — he has all that stuff near the bar anyways. And he tried to go at the gunman to stop him from shooting anybody else. The gunman shot him twice through the stomach."

NBC News' Lester Holt pressed the councilor on whether the knowledge that his son went down fighting changed his pain at all.

Leroy Walker answered, "Oh. ... It made it worse. Yeah, it made it worse."

The Station Grill Restaurant, where Joseph Walker was also a manager, noted in a Meta post, "For those of you that don't know Joe. Let me tell you, this man would give the shirt off his back to help a total stranger. But last night he gave up more than that, he gave up his life."

"Somehow Joe made it to the kitchen. Most of you might not realize this but there is a door that he could have exited and saved his own life but not Joe. He grabbed a knife and went back out into danger to try and stop the shooter," said the Station Grill. "When I heard this, I was so upset but not surprised. I can ask myself 100 times. Why not leave Joe. Please take the door and you would be here. Joe would tell me that he would have to stop the shooter. That's Joseph Walker, the man that I know. Putting everyone first. He will alway be our hero."

Leroy Walker told MSNBC that it was not until 14 hours after the shooting that his family discovered his son's fate.

"None of us slept. We were up all night," said Walker. "We didn't know where to go, who to run to. They didn't notify any of us."

Finally, Walker's youngest son called him with the news.

"I almost fell to my knees," said the councilor. "I said, 'Don't tell me that.'"

Walker indicated his family is now "suffering and dying in a nightmare we don't understand," having lost "a great, great son, a loving husband."

"He had two grandchildren and a stepson," added Walker. "Thousands of people loved him. ... What are we gonna do tomorrow, the next day? How are we gonna handle this?"

Tricia Asselin, 53, was among the seven people slain at Just-In-Time Recreation in Lewiston. Although a part-time employee at the establishment, Asselin had the night off and was bowling with her sister Bobbi Nichols when the carnage began.

Nichols, who survived the massacre, told CNN, "We heard a loud noise and I wasn't sure what it was until I heard another shot and then I knew."

People began scrambling to escape the bowling alley amid the crackle of gunfire. In the chaos, Nichols said, "I couldn't see [Asselin] and everybody was running, and I got caught in people trampling."

Nichols indicated that after making it outside, "We just kept running and running and running. ... And it was dark out."

"I just ran as far as I could go until there was a fence and there were some trees and a bunch of us were hiding behind the trees wondering what was going on," said Nicholas.

Hours after police escorted the survivors out of the murky woods, Nichols said that "somebody came out and said that she called 911, and when she called 911 to save everybody, she lost her life because of it."

The New York Post reported that Asselin was a mother who worked three jobs.

"My sister's a hero," said Nichols. "She was a hero."

Asselin's brother DJ Johnson said, "If she there was an argument going on, she would be the one to calm everyone down. ... If somebody was having a bad day, she would be right on the phone to talk to you about it."

Upon learning Asselin had tried to call for help, Johnson said, "That was just her. She wasn't going to run. She was going to try and help."

Besides a tragic end, it appears many of the victims shared bravery in common.

Michael Deslauriers Sr. noted that his son, Michael Deslauriers II, was with "his dearest friend," Jason Walker, when they were "murdered last night at the bowling alley."

Deslauriers Sr. said that "they made sure their wives and several young children were under cover then they charged the shooter."

Also among the victims who have so far been identified:

  • 76-year-old retiree and well-loved volunteer bowling coach Bob Violette;
  • Peyton Brewer-Ross, a 40-year-old pipefitter and new father remembered for his good nature and sense of humor;
  • 44-year-old Bill Young and his 14-year-old son Aaron Young;
  • Bryan McFarlane, a dog-loving truck driver who had been participating in a deaf cornhole tournament at the bar;
  • 34-year-old Tommy Conrad, a manager at the bowling alley, who leaves behind a 9-year-old daughter;
  • Joshua Seal, a young father of four and an American Sign Language interpreter for the Pine Tree Society;
  • Ron Morin, remembered as "an upstanding man with a lot of joy in his heart," reported the Independent;
  • 42-year-old Arthur Strout, a father of five; and
  • Bill Brackett and Steve Vozzella, both of whom had been attending the deaf cornhole game.

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Local resident gets frank with CNN reporter as police hunt mass shooting suspect: 'I wish I had a firearm'



As law enforcement hunts down the man they believe is responsible for a massacre in Maine, a local resident told CNN on Thursday that he would feel much safer if he owned a firearm.

Reporting from a town near Lewiston — the scene of the mass shooting — CNN senior correspondent Shimon Prokupecz spoke with a local resident, whom he identified as "Cory," about his concerns as police continue searching for the suspect they believe murdered at least 18 people.

"It's just — nerves are rattled right now. [I'm] keeping an eye on the woods because I know those woods down there; they run right back here. And I got my daughter inside," Cory told Prokupecz.

"How old is your daughter?" the reporter followed up.

"She's 10 years old. And my oldest daughter, she works at the Walmart [distribution center], too, and I had to message her, find out if she is OK. It's very unnerving right now," Cory responded.

When Prokupecz noted that police officers have been canvasing the neighborhood with their long guns visible, Cory interrupted the reporter to explain why he finds comfort in their firepower — and why he wishes he had some of his own.

"That actually made me feel better, seeing the cops coming around here— that makes me feel a million times better," he said. "And the situation like this, I wish I had a firearm."

The White House and Democrats wasted no time using the tragedy — despite the ongoing manhunt for the suspect — to push for more gun control, and much is being made of Maine's relatively lax gun laws.

But it's not clear which gun control initiatives — such as red flag laws or background checks on private firearm transactions — would have prevented the massacre, especially considering the suspect's alleged poor mental health.

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