LEWISTON, Maine — Sean Hodgson watched and frightened as his greatest pal of almost twenty years unraveled. His former roommate and fellow U.S. Army reservist’s anger and paranoia have been mounting, he had entry to weapons, and he refused to get assist. So Hodgson did the toughest factor of his life: He despatched a textual content about Robert Card to their Army supervisor.
“I consider he’s going to snap and do a mass capturing,” he wrote on Sept. 15.
Six weeks later, Card fatally shot 18 individuals at a bowling alley and a bar in Lewiston earlier than killing himself. His physique was present in a trailer after a two-day search.
“I wasn’t in his head. I don’t know precisely what went on,” Hodgson informed The Related Press final week in an unique interview, his first for the reason that Oct. 25 shootings. “However I do know I used to be proper.”
The collection of warning indicators about Card have been properly documented. In Might, kinfolk warned police that Card had grown paranoid, and so they expressed concern about his entry to weapons. In July, Card was hospitalized in a psychiatric unit after shoving a fellow reservist and locking himself in a motel room. In August, the Army barred him from dealing with weapons on obligation and declared him nondeployable.
In September, Hodgson raised probably the most evident crimson flag, telling authorities to vary the passcode to the gate at their Army Reserve coaching facility and arm themselves if Card confirmed up.
“Please,” he wrote. “I consider he’s tousled within the head.”
However authorities declined to confront Card — the clearest instance of the missed alternatives to intervene and forestall the deadliest capturing in state historical past. That is exhausting to swallow for Hodgson, who’s pushing again in opposition to an unbiased report for regulation enforcement that described him as “excessive” and “alarmist.”
“I actually spelled it out for them,” mentioned Hodgson, 43, referred to by solely his final identify in paperwork on the case. “I don’t know the way clear I may have gotten.”
Hodgson’s account, taken with regulation enforcement paperwork, movies and different interviews, offers probably the most complete image up to now of potential missteps main as much as the assault.
In response to AP’s questions, the Army Reserve mentioned in a press release this week that nobody ought to soar to conclusions till its personal investigation and an unbiased probe by the Army inspector basic are finalized.
“Any hypothesis at this level with out having all the main points may have an effect on the end result of the investigation,” the assertion mentioned. Officers would not remark additional.
Sheriff Joel Merry — of Sagadahoc County, the place Card lived — didn’t reply to AP’s questions for this story however urged a necessity for public coverage modifications. He beforehand mentioned his workplace has been “totally clear.”
Hodgson mentioned he does not know the place the failings occurred however believes extra may have been accomplished.
“I perceive he did a horrific factor. I don’t agree with it,” he mentioned. “However I cherished him.”
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Card and Hodgson met in 2006 within the Army Reserve and have become particularly shut once they each divorced across the similar time.
When Hodgson was evicted from his New Hampshire house in 2022, Card informed him to maneuver to Maine, and so they lived collectively for a few month, he mentioned. When Card was hospitalized in July, Hodgson drove him again to Maine.
By then, Hodgson mentioned, Card had begun venting to him about his perception that these round him have been accusing him of being a pedophile. Hodgson believed a few of Card’s complaints have been true — a case of mistaken id stemming from the truth that one other Robert Card is on the state’s intercourse offender registry.
“I at all times caught by him,” Hodgson mentioned.
In September, after an evening out, Card started “flipping out,” Hodgson mentioned — pounding the steering wheel and nearly crashing a number of instances. After Hodgson begged him to tug over, he mentioned, Card punched him within the face.
Hodgson informed Card to drop him off at a fuel station close to his home.
“I like you, and I’ll at all times be right here for you it doesn’t matter what,” he mentioned he informed Card.
Hodgson despatched the textual content to his supervisor two days later. He didn’t communicate to Card after that, he mentioned.
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After his textual content, Hodgson mentioned, navy officers adopted up, asking whether or not Card threatened particular individuals. However they didn’t ask for assist in approaching Card, he mentioned.
Authorities briefly staked out the Army Reserve Middle and visited Card’s residence. They declined to confront him, fearing that might “throw a stick of dynamite on a pool of fuel,” based on video launched final month by the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Within the movies, officers downplayed Hodgson’s warning, suggesting he may need been drunk when he texted at 2:04 a.m. Talking to police on the coaching middle, Army Reserve Capt. Jeremy Reamer describes Hodgson as “not probably the most credible of our troopers” and later tells Sagadahoc Sheriff Sgt. Aaron Skolfield his message must be taken “with a grain of salt.”
Hodgson, unaware of these feedback till contacted by AP, acknowledged in a collection of interviews that he struggles with post-traumatic stress dysfunction and alcohol habit however mentioned he wasn’t consuming that evening and was awake as a result of he works nights and was ready for his boss to name.
Hodgson additionally acknowledges that he faces two legal prices, one alleging he assaulted a girl he was courting in 2022 and one other alleging that he violated his bail situations by possessing alcohol final month. However he mentioned authorities ought to have taken him extra significantly given his relationship with Card, his coaching on menace detection and mitigation, and his earlier work as a safety officer at a nuclear plant.
“That was probably the most troublesome factor I ever needed to do, was report him to command, and I did that. And for them to discredit me?” he mentioned. “It pisses me off as a result of all they needed to do is pay attention.”
In a textual content this week, Reamer declined to touch upon questions from AP.
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For weeks after sending the textual content, Hodgson mentioned he prayed that it would not come true. However as quickly as he heard concerning the capturing, he referred to as his sergeant.
“I don’t consider in coincidences,” he mentioned he informed him. “I do know it’s Robert Card.”
Greater than two months later, Hodgson mentioned, he hates that Card “took the simple means out” and isn’t round to reply questions or face penalties. It’s not the Robert Card he knew and cherished for 17 years, he mentioned, and he struggles with that on daily basis.
Hodgson mentioned he desires individuals to know he did all the pieces he may to save lots of lives.
“I don’t know the way to specific to individuals how a lot I cherished him, how a lot I cared about him,” he mentioned. ”And the way a lot I hate what he did.”
Story Continues
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