Maine Gunman Made Threats Against His Army Base Last Month, Sheriff Says

A sheriff in Maine says he sent an alert to all law enforcement agencies in the state last month after learning that an Army reservist had made threats against his base, a notification that came weeks before the reservist fatally shot 18 people in America’s deadliest mass shooting this year.

Sagadahoc County Sheriff Joel Merry said he sent the alert sometime in September in an effort to find the reservist, Robert R. Card II, 40, who was said to have made threats regarding the Army Reserve center in Saco, Maine. He said he sent a deputy to Mr. Card’s home but that the deputy did not find him there, prompting the sheriff to send out the notice.

The revelation is the strongest sign yet that law enforcement was aware that Mr. Card was a potential danger before he carried out a rampage at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston on Wednesday night.

“The guys, from what I know, paid due diligence to this and did attempt to locate Mr. Card and they couldn’t,” Sheriff Merry said in an interview on Saturday night.

The Maine State Police, which had led the two-day manhunt for Mr. Card before he was found dead in a trailer at a recycling plant on Friday night, did not respond to requests for comment. The Associated Press first reported on the alert.

Contacted on Saturday, at least two law enforcement leaders in Maine said they did not recall receiving the alert, though they said they receive many such notices.

This is a developing story. Check back here for updates.

Shaila Dewan, Serge F. Kovaleski and Amelia Nierenberg contributed reporting. Jack Begg contributed research.