Maine State Police’s Lewiston aftermath report highlights deficiencies in fatal shooting

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Maine State Police announced that the New England State Police Administrators Conference has completed an independent review of its Lewiston mass shooting follow-up report.

The October 25, 2023 shooting occurred at a bowling alley and a bar and grill. The shooter’s body was found two days later and he had apparently died by suicide.

Col. William Ross of the Maine State Police called for a review of the aftermath of the mass shooting that left 18 people dead.

MASS SHOOTING IN LEWISTON, MAINE: AT LEAST 22 DEAD AS FOUNDATION CUT TO A PERSON OF INTEREST ROBERT CARD

The report, released nearly a year after the shooting, was led by Col. Matthew Birmingham of the Vermont State Police and included recommendations on crime scene protocols, software and training.

The report had previously addressed many of the issues identified, but the review noted that errors would always occur in events of this magnitude and that the review would only serve to highlight those errors so that lessons could be learned from them.

“We hope our review of the events of the days and months before and after October 25, 2023 will provide some answers to your questions and provide insights that can help other survivors, victims and communities in the future. Unfortunately, despite the intensive efforts of law enforcement and the Commission, some questions may never be answered. The limitations of the human condition and the lack of evidence prevented the commission from definitively answering all your questions,” the report said.

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Vehicles drive past a sign following a mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, on October 27, 2023. Hundreds of police hunted a fugitive gunman who killed 18 people at a bowling alley and a bar in Maine on October 26, 2023, as President Joe Biden decried “another senseless and tragic mass shooting.” Police named the suspect as 40-year-old Robert Card – surveillance footage showed him aiming a semi-automatic rifle at the Sparetime Recreation bowling alley. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

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Ross said he and the team will use this as a tool to make improvements.

“Continued training, policy review and collaboration with partner agencies across the first responder spectrum are essential and will continue on an ongoing basis,” it said in a statement.