Watch live: State Police leader talks about information leaks during 48-hour manhunt for gunman
May 24—LEWISTON — The chief of the Maine State Police on Friday morning walked members of the commission investigating the Lewiston mass shooting through his frustrations with information leaks in the early hours of the search for the gunman.
Col. William Ross told the commission about two leaks — one of a law enforcement bulletin about gunman Robert Card and another about a note found at Card's residence the day after the shooting.
Ross said the leaks were unfortunate and could have jeopardized the investigation by providing Card, or people who could have been helping him, with information about what the police knew. But he said it would be "like finding a needle in a haystack" to try and figure out who was responsible.
Leaks of sensitive information are not something the agency deals with in a typical investigation, but the demand for information about the mass shooting and the number of law enforcement officials and agents involved allowed it to happen, he said.
"We don't have leaks and these issues when we come to Lewiston to work a homicide. ... I think it's just the volume of people coming in," Ross said. "It happens."
Ross, who is among a half-dozen members of state police speaking with the commission at Lewiston City Hall, also outlined the agency's communications with the public and how it coordinated with other law enforcement agencies in the aftermath of the tragedy. He presented a timeline of social media posts, describing the information they contained and what their purpose was.
"Communications is a broad topic, and it can always be improved, no matter what the case is," he said.
Commission members may also hear Friday from Major Scott Gosselin, Sgt. Greg Mitchell, Sgt. Greg Roy and Lt. Lucas Hare.
The meeting, the latest in a series of public hearings held by the commission, is available to watch live via the city's YouTube page.
This is the second time the commission has met publicly with Maine State Police. In February, members of the agency described their search for gunman Robert Card in the two days following the shooting. Card's body was found on the evening of Oct. 27 in a trailer at a recycling facility in Lisbon.
Police told the commission in February that they were flooded with tips and leads, and they had to scramble to set up a command center and coordinate hundreds of officers from different agencies. They described chaotic scenes and defended decisions made during the search for the suspect, including an order to not immediately approach his car in case it was a trap.
The commission, which was appointed by Gov. Janet Mills and Attorney General Aaron Frey, is tasked with investigating the events leading up to the shooting that killed 18 people and injured 13 others, the law enforcement response to it, and whether more could have been done to stop Card.
An interim report on the commission's work was released in March focusing largely on the actions of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff's Office and its response to reported concerns about Card's mental health in the months prior to the shooting.
The interim report found local law enforcement had enough information to take Card into protective custody and initiate the yellow flag law to take away his weapons prior to the tragedy.
Since the release of the interim report, the commission has heard from members of the U.S. Army Reserves, of which Card was a member, Maine's former chief medical examiner, victims and members of Card's family.
This story will be updated.
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