0:00

The dispatch is made possible by

0:02

the Abrams Foundation, the committed to

0:04

excellence in journalism. and

0:06

by the Frontline Journalism Fund,

0:08

with major support from

0:10

John and journalism fund, with major support from

0:12

John and Joanne coffee? Hey, I

0:14

did. Hey there. I this this

0:16

okay? It is. On a sunny

0:19

On a sunny September afternoon,

0:21

I meet Arthur Barnard used to used

0:23

to be a pool hall, where where

0:25

he and his oldest son son

0:27

to hang out. out. Little Artie was

0:29

6 '5 and two hundred and eighty He He

0:31

pool, and he was good

0:33

at it. His dad started teaching

0:35

him to play when he

0:37

was play when he was Depending on how

0:39

he's feeling, Arthur usually stops

0:42

by at least a couple of

0:44

times a month of sits in

0:46

his car in the parking

0:48

lot. car in the parking lot. As As

0:50

trucks rattle up and down the

0:52

street, Arthur holds a photograph of his

0:54

son in his lap lap talks to

0:56

him. to him. He He tells little Artie

0:58

how his kids are doing, are how

1:00

proud he is of him, is and

1:02

how he wishes things could have

1:04

turned out differently. have I was proud

1:06

of the way he treated his kids.

1:08

I was proud was firm. way he He

1:10

kept things fun He the

1:12

same time. he was firm. I was

1:14

proud of fun at the same time. I

1:16

was proud of the he was. he was.

1:23

Arthur and I have spoken several

1:26

times over the past year. past

1:28

year, is our first time

1:30

meeting here, time the place he

1:32

last saw his son saw his son alive.

1:34

On October 25th, 2023, On

1:36

October 25, 2023, a gunman

1:39

walked into a bowling alley

1:41

across town and opened fire. Then

1:43

he people. to Schmanky's

1:46

to and Grill. He left He

1:48

left his car running and

1:50

went inside. inside. In 78 seconds,

1:52

he fired 36 rounds. was

1:55

Artie was playing pool at a table

1:57

near the door. He and nine

1:59

other. were killed. Arthur was

2:01

also playing pool at Schminges

2:03

that night, but he left

2:06

minutes before the shooter, Robert

2:08

Card, arrived. Card was a

2:10

part-time soldier whose friends and

2:13

family had warned authorities about

2:15

his erratic and threatening behavior.

2:17

The Army Reserve ordered him

2:20

to a psychiatric hospital where

2:22

he spent 19 days and

2:24

where his doctors raised concerns

2:27

about his access to guns.

2:29

A local sheriff's office was alerted

2:31

that Card might carry out a

2:33

mass shooting, but did not attempt

2:36

to use Maine's yellow flag law

2:38

to try to seize his weapons.

2:40

I feel that a mental health

2:42

provider should be able to make

2:44

a phone call and say, this

2:46

person is unsafe. We need to

2:49

remove any firearms. The problem is,

2:51

is nobody knows who owns what

2:53

for firearms. There's strong disagreement about

2:55

the effectiveness of gun registries, but

2:57

for Arthur, they just make common

3:00

sense. This is the deadliest thing

3:02

in our communities, in our lives,

3:04

in this country. You have to

3:06

register a canoe or our dogs.

3:08

If you put a motor on

3:11

a canoe, but the one thing

3:13

that kills more children and people

3:15

in this country, you don't have

3:17

to keep any track of. Arthur's

3:21

life is busy. He's got more

3:23

than 20 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Several

3:26

live with him in his small

3:28

home. He also works full-time as

3:30

a cook. And ever since the

3:32

Lewiston shooting, he's taken on another

3:35

role as a gun control advocate.

3:37

This is not about taking guns.

3:39

Okay? This is about doing the

3:41

right thing. And finding the right

3:43

politicians who are willing to do

3:46

the right thing. more than they're

3:48

afraid of losing their jobs. That's

3:50

Arthur speaking at a rally for

3:52

gun control legislation at the main

3:55

state house in Augusta. just

3:57

a few months

3:59

after Artie was

4:01

killed. Lawmakers

4:03

passed several gun safety measures

4:06

in 2024. background

4:08

checks, a 72-hour waiting waiting

4:10

period for certain purchases, and

4:12

and a ban on bump

4:14

stocks, which convert a semi -automatic

4:16

weapon into the equivalent of

4:18

a machine a machine gun. But Governor

4:21

Janet Mills vetoed the bump

4:23

the bill. stock and other efforts

4:25

to curb gun violence violence, failed.

4:29

Arthur Barnard is part of

4:31

a campaign to replace Maine's

4:33

unique unique yellow a red flag

4:35

law. flag would make it

4:37

easier to temporarily seize the

4:39

guns of a person considered a

4:41

threat to themselves or others. to

4:43

themselves other states in Washington, D

4:45

.C. have some version of these

4:47

some version of orders on the books.

4:49

We have laws in place. on the

4:52

books. they're so weak. but

4:54

they're guns. around guns

4:56

that it's kind of of disgusting that

4:58

it's been let go to

5:00

that point. Whether they

5:02

favor some type of gun

5:04

control or not, victims, Whether

5:07

they favor some type of

5:09

gun control or not, their sense family

5:11

members and survivors say their

5:13

sense of safety is gone, and

5:15

that has affected them in different

5:17

ways. The emotional and physical trauma

5:20

will stay with us forever. justice

5:22

is served, served. maybe we

5:24

I feel maybe we can start that process

5:27

of healing. That's Liz who

5:29

is who is interpreter interpreter

5:31

is voicing her words. Walker

5:33

She and Tracy Walker both

5:35

lost their husbands seeking both are

5:37

now seeking justice through the

5:39

courts. take just want

5:41

someone to take accountability. It could

5:43

have been prevented. It could have

5:46

been stopped. the family of there's the family

5:48

of Robert and His sister

5:50

and brother -in -law have become

5:52

advocates for the protection of soldiers

5:54

from traumatic brain injuries. injuries. Card was

5:56

a a long -time hand grenade instructor

5:58

who is believed to have been exposed to

6:00

thousands of low -level blasts in the

6:02

Army Reserve. And my question is, what

6:05

the hell are we going to do

6:07

for the people that have traumatic brain

6:09

injuries today? What are we going to

6:11

do for their families who are experiencing

6:13

it today? Others affected

6:15

by the shooting, they're just

6:17

trying to move on. I'm

6:21

Susan Sharon, and along with

6:23

my colleagues Patty White and

6:25

Kevin Miller, we'll focus this

6:27

final episode on how those

6:29

affected by the Lewiston tragedy

6:31

are turning their anguish into

6:33

action. This

6:37

is Breakdown, a collaboration

6:39

between Main Public Radio, the

6:41

Portland Press Herald, and

6:43

Frontline PBS. Episode 6, I

6:45

Think There's Hope. For

6:53

some, hope is the sound

6:55

of bowling balls, striking pins

6:57

again at just -in -time recreation.

7:00

Owners Justin and Samantha Duray

7:02

reopened the bowling alley six

7:04

months after the shooting here

7:06

that killed eight people. Hundreds

7:08

came to the event, including

7:10

Governor Janet Mills. The road

7:12

to healing is long, but

7:15

today Justin and Samantha are

7:17

helping us all take a

7:19

big step forward by reopening

7:21

just -in -time. This

7:27

wasn't the first time Justin and

7:29

Samantha had saved the bowling alley. They

7:31

rescued it from permanent closure when

7:33

they bought the business three years ago.

7:35

But after the shooting, Justin didn't

7:37

think they could do it again. A

7:39

few days after, I was still

7:41

against the idea. didn't want to do

7:43

it. I few didn't think I could

7:45

step foot in here. Then Justin

7:47

thought about Bob Violet. Bob was irregular

7:49

at just -in -time. He and his

7:51

wife were killed while he was coaching

7:53

a youth bowling league. I just

7:55

felt him pushing me and telling me

7:58

that we needed to do this

8:00

for the kids. and he wasn't he

8:02

wasn't allowing me to not reopen. also spoke

8:04

to one of the long-time employees,

8:06

Tom also spoke to one of the

8:08

longtime employees, shot in both legs as The night of

8:10

the shooting, Tom was shot in both

8:12

legs as he helped a group of

8:14

children escape. Right after I got out of

8:16

the hospital, Justin and Sam came up to see

8:18

me of the that was one of the first things

8:20

he asked was, you know, should we reopen. Tom

8:22

was was unequivocal. They had to

8:24

reopen. He didn't want the

8:27

bowling alley's fate determined by the

8:29

shooter. shooter. I mean, number one, we weren't going to let him

8:31

win. one, we weren't

8:34

In the area there really isn't a lot

8:36

to do for people. and for

8:38

youth the area, need

8:41

this to be open for

8:43

everybody. As a community, a

8:45

family. people and for youth,

8:47

and we need this

8:49

to be So, about a

8:52

month after the shooting, Justin and Samantha

8:54

started to renovate the place. They

8:56

repainted and put in new floors. They

8:59

created memorials for the victims.

9:01

for the They also added more

9:03

security cameras and changed the

9:05

doors. and changed a tough balance,

9:07

Justin says, trying to regain

9:09

a sense of safety and

9:11

normalcy. safety and he looks

9:13

over his shoulder looks over his have

9:15

fears that I I

9:17

had before, that I never had before

9:19

and anxiety anxiety and obviously loud

9:22

noises and things definitely me

9:24

a lot more. lot more.

9:29

Moving forward from trauma doesn't

9:31

necessarily happen in a straight

9:33

line. a There is healing is

9:35

grief. and grief. so, so, several

9:37

speakers at a commemoration event on

9:39

the one -year anniversary of the

9:41

shooting anniversary see a community that's

9:43

grown stronger. We

9:45

may be stronger. We may be Some

9:47

of us are torn and hanging on. on.

9:50

Some of Some of us have

9:52

had to be thread hold others

9:54

together. together. Joanna Stoganger is the lead

9:56

advocate at a place called the

9:58

Resiliency Center. It opened in

10:00

Lewiston just a few weeks after the

10:03

shooting. It It has government funding for

10:05

two years and offers free help

10:07

to anyone affected directly or indirectly. It's

10:09

like a place you can just

10:11

go and get away from everything. everything.

10:13

Walker's husband, Joe, was the bar manager

10:15

at at He died while trying

10:18

to stop the shooter. the shooter. Losing a

10:20

loved one to a violent death is

10:22

especially hard to come to terms with,

10:24

she says. says. The The resiliency center helps

10:26

her her her grandkids cope. cope. They share us

10:28

up. the the adults we do do We,

10:30

you know, we have bingo, we we

10:32

do board they do scavenger they do scavenger

10:34

hunt for the kids, have and

10:36

they even have yoga. is that people come

10:38

we find is that people come

10:41

to activities. director of the main is the

10:43

director of the I think often about I think

10:45

often about what's most successful at

10:47

the Center for us so far, and

10:49

that has been largely support groups

10:51

and one -to -one support, not but not

10:53

everybody's ready for that. for that. Joining

10:56

an activity can be an

10:58

easier first step, she says. says.

11:00

Resiliency centers are relatively

11:02

new are a relatively new model,

11:04

specifically designed to respond to

11:06

mass shootings. They've opened

11:09

in places like Aurora, Newtown, Las Las

11:11

Vegas, Parkland, and name a few. just

11:13

to name a few. of a puzzle,

11:15

all pieces of a puzzle, and when we get

11:17

together at the main, we're so easy to

11:19

set. then we feel more cohesive. cohesive. Liz Seal is

11:22

is and an interpreter is voicing

11:24

her words. Her husband, Josh Seal,

11:26

was killed at Schmengies, leaving behind

11:28

Liz and their four children. I

11:30

I don't have to explain myself. I can

11:32

just start from where I'm at when

11:34

you say, When are you doing? you doing? You know,

11:36

can answer somebody, I'm awful. I'm awful. And

11:44

the the the of the other shooting

11:46

that in in has become an important place

11:48

to seek help. I'll just take you

11:50

all the way in, just follow me

11:52

through here, we'll take you you through it. The Schmengi's

11:54

didn't reopen as a bar and and grill,

11:56

but the building is being used to

11:58

serve the community. A few few

12:00

weeks after the first anniversary of

12:02

the shooting, it became home to

12:04

an emergency warming So So is the

12:06

area where we serve the meals? meals.

12:08

Linda Scott, the executive director of

12:11

the warming center, gives a tour

12:13

of the space. of the Some of

12:15

the of the most vulnerable can now

12:17

come here to get a hot

12:19

meal, hot warm clothes, or or take

12:21

a break from the cold. cold. No

12:23

No more pool tables, cornhole games,

12:25

or darts. They've been replaced with

12:27

a clothes closet, couches, and chairs.

12:29

chairs. Everything that you see here, we we luckily got

12:31

donated to us. We have an

12:33

amazing community that did that for us.

12:35

for us. The The initials of all of

12:37

the people who were killed in the shooting

12:39

are on the wall, and so is an

12:41

old sign for so is an old for the great

12:43

food, stay for the good times, it says. food.

12:46

Stay for the good times, it

12:48

says. Many places that are the Many

12:50

places that are the scene of a

12:52

mass shooting never are Some

12:54

are demolished, but not in It

12:57

was kind It was kind of

12:59

the through tragedy, you know, mind frame. Kevin

13:01

Bolard runs the nonprofit that

13:03

operates the warming center. center. will

13:05

now be turning this into a place that will

13:07

be saving lives over the winter. lives over the

13:09

winter. center is only open overnight, but

13:12

Kevin hopes to eventually turn it

13:14

into a full it shelter with as

13:16

many as 60 beds. 60 beds. And he's reassured

13:18

by some victims' families that this

13:20

is the right path for the space.

13:22

He He remembers a visit from a

13:24

mother and father father came to spend

13:27

time where their son died. died. You

13:29

tell that the father father. It was kind

13:31

of one of those old those old school,

13:33

want to show his emotions. to show his emotions.

13:35

But he he gave me a handshake then

13:37

he pulled me close and gave me

13:39

a hug. a hug. And the energy behind

13:41

that hug hug is something that you just

13:43

can't describe. describe. And they And they thanked

13:45

us, they blessed us. He tried handing

13:47

us some money. We We tried refusing, He

13:49

he didn't accept the refusal. So

13:52

So we wanted to honor what he

13:54

was trying to do trying to do in

13:56

of his son. his son. Arthur

14:00

Barnard hoped the place where

14:02

he lost one of his of his

14:04

sons, be the salvation for another

14:06

son, Anthony. son, Anthony battled substance

14:08

use disorder for years and

14:11

struggled to find stable housing. find

14:13

He often slept outside. slept But

14:15

just two days before the the

14:17

official opening, Anthony was found dead

14:19

in his tent. his tent. Even

14:26

as Arthur manages the loss of

14:28

two sons. says He says he's determined

14:30

not to let the terrible actions

14:32

of one person in this space

14:34

in take away the beautiful memories

14:37

of so many others. It had

14:39

many others. It connection with the

14:41

community and I would have

14:43

put a I would have wall in

14:45

there wall in said,

14:47

said, we are strong strong enough

14:49

to keep going. And thank thank

14:51

you to everybody here because...

14:55

the ones that the ones that

14:58

make this. Here

15:00

I've brought the

15:03

very helmet. Here

15:05

I've brought the

15:08

very helmet. I've

15:10

brought the very helmet. my

15:14

brother's brain. Nicole

15:17

Hurling brother's brain. her

15:20

hand rests her hand on

15:22

the back of the camouflage

15:24

helmet that says Robert Card wore

15:26

while training West to toss live

15:28

hand grenades. grenades. She and her and

15:31

her husband James are wearing matching

15:33

brain health awareness T -shirts as

15:35

they testify sometimes through tears tears,

15:37

to a state commission investigating the

15:39

shooting. the shooting. But as Nicole

15:41

the the helmet closer. closer,

15:43

directs her words not to the panel a

15:45

few feet away. few feet away, but to

15:47

military officials far from from the

15:50

Department of Defense. of Defense.

15:53

It failed. It's been It's

15:55

been It's unjust to continue

15:58

to continue trainings. with explosions

16:00

and sonic booms

16:02

until there are protective

16:05

protective and standards, ensuring

16:07

the safety. safety of all

16:09

our brains. I brains. until

16:12

won't reliance. happen. For until

16:14

these changes happen. moving forward

16:17

means raising awareness about

16:19

the Nicole and James, moving

16:21

forward means raising awareness about

16:24

the potential links between brain

16:26

injuries and mental health within

16:28

military ranks. ranks. Researchers

16:30

at Boston University studied brain

16:32

after his death at the the

16:34

request of Maine's examiner. In

16:37

In Mr. brain, what we saw

16:39

was interface astroglyosis, which is a

16:41

type of scarring, an inflammation of

16:43

the brain, has that has been

16:45

found after blast injury, but

16:47

also has been found in board

16:49

athletes. Dr. Ann McKee is director of the

16:52

of the Boston

16:54

University chronic traumatic encephalopathy injury lab.

16:56

What we knew from the clinicians

16:58

who went back and talked to

17:00

the family to that he had

17:02

been exposed to been explosions repetitively.

17:05

So, and And knowing that

17:07

he I had a a very substantial exposure

17:09

to these grenade explosions, we

17:11

thought it was most likely

17:13

that his traumatic brain injury was

17:15

secondary to that to that exposure. Dr.

17:18

McKee says what her team saw

17:20

in brain is consistent with the

17:22

effects they've seen in previous studies

17:24

on blast injuries in humans in

17:26

in experimental models. models.

17:29

says these are often are often,

17:31

injuries without blood, skull fractures,

17:34

or even symptoms at first. at

17:36

She also says says possible to

17:39

definitively link brain trauma

17:41

with specific behaviors. Everybody

17:43

wants A to cause B, right? B.

17:45

It's just too simple. when you

17:47

say, that that brain injury him

17:50

to kill? people? Well, people. say Well, I

17:52

can't say that. You know, you can't. it

17:54

probably contributed to the story. But how

17:56

much it contributed, that I don't

17:58

know. know. A A growing

18:00

body of evidence suggests that

18:02

some members are exposed to

18:05

potentially damaging blasts outside of

18:07

combat. of combat, such as during

18:09

routine training. training. The Army's internal

18:11

internal investigation agreed that Card may

18:13

have suffered a a brain injury. injury.

18:15

But the But the Army said Card's

18:17

records do not indicate that he suffered

18:19

any, he suffered brain trauma while on

18:21

duty. while on duty. Instead, the

18:23

report his brain injury could have

18:26

been related to a fall from a

18:28

roof in 2008, in which he broke

18:30

his neck. neck. Dr. McKee says

18:32

that doesn't align with what they found

18:34

in Card's brain tissue. We've never

18:36

seen the type of brain injury,

18:38

the brain damage that we found

18:40

in Robert in after a single

18:42

event, such as a fall, as a

18:45

a single fall. fall. Now, could that

18:47

single injury have made the It's

18:49

injury that it added It's possible that it

18:51

added to it, but as a

18:53

single event, it doesn't explain the

18:55

changes we found under the microscope.

18:58

Brain Brain injury experts at the the

19:00

Walter Reed Medical Center were given

19:02

access to the BU lab's analysis,

19:04

B.U. but they have not yet

19:07

released their own findings. released their own

19:09

findings. Nicole Hurling is deeply is

19:11

deeply skeptical of both the and

19:13

of what the of what the military

19:15

medical experts will eventually say

19:17

about her brother's brain injuries. I

19:20

am not holding out a lot of hope about

19:22

what hope will find. They do

19:24

have a copy of the medical report.

19:26

I I gave that to them hoping

19:28

that they would use it to

19:30

help others. other soldiers. The military military

19:32

has been under pressure for

19:34

years from and and of

19:36

of brain -injured veterans to better

19:39

protect troops from blasts. Ten months

19:41

10 months after the Pentagon announced

19:43

new recommended standoff distances

19:45

around some weaponry during

19:48

training. The The Department

19:50

of Defense has also begun

19:52

conducting baseline cognitive assessments of

19:54

all new recruits, including reservists. to

19:57

to help them detect any injuries later

19:59

on. on. Since Lewiston,

20:01

Maine Senators Angus Angus King

20:03

and Susan Collins have sponsored bills

20:05

that would require the military

20:07

to more closely track troops' exposure

20:09

to potentially damaging shock

20:12

waves. King, who serves on the who

20:14

serves on the Senate committees that

20:16

oversee both the the and and affairs. affairs,

20:18

also wants long -term studies on

20:20

the impacts of low level blasts

20:22

and treatments that show the most

20:24

promise. We know enough to

20:26

know it's a problem. We just

20:29

don't know the magnitude of

20:31

it. of once we can determine

20:33

that, then we can talk about

20:35

about how to mitigate it. it. says

20:37

baseline says baseline assessments and

20:39

long -term monitoring are critical. but

20:42

but that will take a lot of money of a

20:44

long time. a long time. And says the

20:46

military must address the immediate

20:48

needs. We need to look

20:50

at these guys guys now. right now,

20:52

while they're suffering, while they're having

20:54

the having while they're developing the

20:56

early stages of this deterioration. That's

20:59

when we can make a difference.

21:01

That's where we can prevent the

21:03

disease. difference, that's where we can prevent

21:05

the disease. For the past year,

21:07

the past year, James Nicole and James

21:10

Hurling have struggled under the oppressive weight

21:12

of what her brother did. And

21:14

as a and has a constant reminder

21:16

of those lost. lost, The The couple has

21:18

posted the names of the the

21:20

victims on hearts nailed to to on their

21:22

their property. Nicole is also hoping is

21:24

also hoping to learn from her

21:26

family's painful experience. she tried repeatedly

21:29

to she tried for her to find

21:31

help for her brother. illness who denied

21:33

his mental illness from gradually turned away

21:35

from those who were closest to him.

21:37

to put a I know that I was tempted to

21:39

put a barrier between me and my brother

21:41

because it's to You don't know how to help

21:43

this person that's They push They push you away because

21:45

they're frustrated. So how are

21:47

we going to help and love people

21:49

who are struggling if we people who are Look

21:51

them in the eye and say. we can't

21:54

are you? look them How can I help

21:56

you today? say, how are you? How

21:58

can I help you today? The

22:00

shooting, Nicole and James have devoted

22:02

themselves to learning about brain health.

22:04

They've attended events with families of

22:06

veterans who died by suicide. She's

22:08

talked to people whose family members

22:11

live with schizophrenia and paranoia. The

22:13

Herlings have also been in contact

22:15

with the Concussion Legacy Foundation and

22:17

hope to help build awareness about

22:19

the need for veterans and others.

22:21

to donate their brains to science.

22:23

So it all just comes back

22:25

to we have to figure out

22:28

how we can take a look

22:30

at these people's brains so we

22:32

can best support them and love

22:34

them through what they're going through.

22:36

They also hope to launch their

22:38

own nonprofit focused on brain health

22:40

in veterans within the next few

22:43

years. In the meantime, Nicole still

22:45

struggles to reconcile how her brother

22:47

who she says for years lovingly

22:49

looked after his parents, his siblings,

22:51

and their children could commit such

22:53

violence. There were days that I

22:56

was angry at Robbie, I have

22:58

this picture of him, and there

23:00

are days that like, I didn't

23:02

know how he could hold his

23:04

baby with those hands and then

23:06

kill so many people with him

23:09

too. She has no other ready

23:11

explanation for her brother's rapid mental

23:13

deterioration. So Nicole has seized on

23:15

his brain injuries. and talks about

23:17

her advocacy as a quote, mission.

23:19

I don't know if like this

23:21

mission is so I don't have

23:24

to feel that pain, or whether

23:26

it is the truth, and it's

23:28

going to be hard, or I

23:30

don't know. I don't know. And

23:32

I've asked, and I've asked, and

23:34

I've asked. And the more people

23:37

I talk to, they're like, you've

23:39

got to keep going. For

23:51

some Lewiston survivors and victims

23:53

families, the next step is

23:55

the courthouse and the blueprint

23:58

for their legal strategy. may

24:00

be found in a small

24:02

town in Texas. We are

24:04

dealing with the largest mass

24:06

shooting in our state's history.

24:08

In 2017, a man opened

24:10

fire during a church service

24:12

in rural Sutherland Springs. He

24:15

fired at least 450 rounds,

24:17

killing 26 people and injuring

24:19

more than 20 others, including

24:21

several children. Every mom and

24:23

dad home tonight, that you

24:25

put your arm around your

24:27

kid and give your kid

24:29

a big hug and let

24:31

them know how much you

24:34

love them. The shooter was

24:36

a former Air Force service

24:38

member who was court-martialed for

24:40

assaulting his wife and baby

24:42

stepson and later discharged for

24:44

bad conduct. Because he had

24:46

been convicted of domestic violence,

24:48

it was illegal for him

24:50

to purchase the firearms used

24:53

in the church shooting. But

24:55

the Air Force failed to

24:57

report his conviction to the

24:59

FBI's national instant criminal background

25:01

check system. So survivors and

25:03

families of the victims sued

25:05

the federal government. Frankly, we

25:07

were just upset and had

25:10

enough of people in power

25:12

and people with influence not

25:14

doing anything. Jamal Alsifar of

25:16

Austin, Texas was the lead

25:18

attorney for the plaintiffs in

25:20

the Sutherland Springs Springs case.

25:22

In 2021, a federal judge

25:24

found the federal government 60%

25:26

liable for failing to report

25:29

the shooter's military conviction for

25:31

domestic violence to the FBI.

25:33

The shooter had also threatened

25:35

to commit mass violence. We

25:37

were able to provide justice

25:39

to those families. We were

25:41

able to hold the federal

25:43

government accountable for their many,

25:45

many missteps, including the Air

25:48

Force and the military, and

25:50

preventing a known and dangerous

25:52

person from getting weapons. The

25:54

judge ordered the federal government

25:56

to pay the victims more

25:58

than $200 million. $130 million

26:00

in damages. The Department

26:03

of Justice appealed, and and

26:05

a few months later,

26:07

the Sutherland Springs families

26:10

agreed to settle for

26:12

for .5 million. government is government

26:14

is generally protected from

26:16

liability lawsuits with limited

26:18

exceptions. There is a very,

26:20

very large role that the

26:22

justice system can and should

26:25

play can and holding in holding folks

26:27

accountable for this. this. Also says

26:29

the case changed the way the

26:31

military reports convicted felons felons,

26:33

it showed the importance of

26:35

federal background checks. checks.

26:37

He's also worked with families devastated

26:40

by the school shooting in school

26:42

shooting in mall shooting in mall shooting in

26:44

Allen, And now now working on

26:46

the on the Lewiston attorneys from three

26:48

other law firms. law firms. Hello,

26:58

I'm Cynthia I'm Cynthia year on October

27:00

Last year on October as so

27:02

my life, as well as

27:04

so many of the others

27:07

here today, before changed for anniversary

27:09

of the Ten days before the

27:11

first anniversary of the of victims'

27:14

Cynthia joined dozens of victims'

27:16

family members and survivors in

27:18

announcing their intent to sue

27:20

the Department of Defense, the

27:22

Keller and Keller Army Community

27:24

Hospital in New York for

27:27

negligence. It's It's something

27:29

she and others say they are

27:31

doing to spare other families from

27:33

experiencing the pain and grief they

27:35

now carry. they My husband My

27:37

and my son and my taken from

27:39

me in what seems like an

27:41

instant. like an Cynthia dropped off Bill

27:43

off Bill and -old Aaron at the bowling

27:46

alley that night. that I kissed

27:48

and hugged them both, and

27:50

I told them I loved them. them. I

27:52

I pulled my son back for a second

27:54

hug, hug. not knowing it would be the

27:56

last time I ever saw them. time I ever

27:59

saw them As traumatic as

28:01

that is, Cynthia says what

28:03

makes it worse is that

28:05

there were multiple people and

28:07

agencies who saw the warning

28:09

signs and did not take

28:11

the proper actions to stop

28:13

Robert Card. There needs to

28:16

be accountability for those actions

28:18

not taken that led up

28:20

to the 18 souls being

28:22

lost and also the loss

28:24

of feeling safe and secure

28:26

for the survivors of this

28:28

tragic event. A

28:38

commission established by Governor Janet Mills

28:40

to examine the facts of the

28:43

case came down hard on Army

28:45

Reserve leaders for failing to take

28:47

necessary steps to reduce the threat

28:50

Robert Card posed to the public,

28:52

including removing guns from his home.

28:54

Army leaders said they were not

28:57

authorized to seize his weapons because

28:59

he was not on active duty

29:01

at the time. Commissioners also criticized

29:04

the Sagatahawk County Sheriff's Office for

29:06

failing to use the yellow flag

29:09

law and relying on cards family

29:11

to try to secure the weapons.

29:13

That, they said, was an abdication

29:16

of law enforcement's responsibility. But Ben

29:18

Gideon, one of the attorneys representing

29:20

the group, says they do not

29:23

anticipate a case against local law

29:25

enforcement. As you may have seen

29:27

in our claims against the local

29:30

law enforcement, local law enforcement. was

29:32

not provided with all of the

29:35

critical information that the army had

29:37

about the risks presented by Robert

29:39

Card. Gideon says that includes the

29:42

fact that according to the commission

29:44

report, Card's treating doctors urged the

29:46

removal of firearms from his home.

29:49

After 19 days, Card was discharged

29:51

from the psychiatric hospital in New

29:53

York, known as four winds. The

29:56

minimal records we do have from

29:58

four winds, the four winds. doctors

30:01

concluded. that it it

30:03

was unlikely that Robert Card

30:05

was going to get get better or

30:07

improve after he left. In closed

30:09

testimony, a a forewind psychiatrist told

30:11

the commission that Card had

30:14

shown progress, agreed to take

30:16

his medications his participate in

30:18

therapy. in Attorneys say

30:20

they have not ruled out

30:22

a future claim against against four

30:24

wins. Arthur

30:29

Barnard is not part of the lawsuit.

30:32

but he he understands why it's

30:34

important for his daughter -in -law and

30:36

other families who have signed

30:38

on. families who have signed on. putting his

30:40

energy into gun control. into

30:42

gun control. he says it

30:45

dawned on him as he was at a Red

30:47

Sox game in Boston. Red Sox that

30:49

more people were killed by gun

30:51

violence in 2023. by gun violence can

30:53

sit in Fenway in Fenway

30:55

the stadium seats just under

30:57

$38 ,000. 38, and according to

30:59

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

31:01

Control and than 46 more

31:04

people. people victims of gun violence

31:06

that year. that year. see all these

31:08

people having such a good time good

31:10

to music and singing along with

31:12

all these songs that are playing at

31:14

these baseball games. playing at these it's such

31:16

a big spectacle, such a big all I

31:18

could think about. I could think about

31:20

is is how many people were gone

31:22

were year. one year. Not

31:27

long long after he lost

31:29

his son, started Arthur started

31:31

making connections with other families who

31:33

have lost loved ones in

31:36

mass shootings. safety advocate Fred Gutenberg, whose

31:38

14-year-old 14 -year -old daughter was

31:40

killed in the High High

31:42

School shooting, invited him

31:44

to Washington, D .C. a for

31:46

a national vigil on gun

31:48

violence. next thing I know, I'm next thing I know,

31:50

I'm meeting the kids from Sandy Hook.

31:52

I'm seeing all these teenagers, you know, the

31:54

juniors and seniors. I'm saying who are are these guys they're

31:56

telling me, you know, they're the kids

31:59

from Sandy Hook Elementary School. They were there

32:01

in person watching their teachers

32:03

and friends get killed. And

32:06

the witness, you know, the

32:08

pain that's still there. Arthur

32:10

met the parents from Uvalde

32:12

too. They sat behind him

32:15

at the church vigil. At

32:17

one point, Arthur says people

32:19

were invited to step up

32:22

to a microphone and share

32:24

the name and photo of

32:26

the person they lost. When

32:29

he shared that Artie had

32:31

been killed just a few

32:33

weeks earlier, there was a

32:36

collective gasp in the audience.

32:38

Overcome with emotion, Arthur went

32:40

to get his coat to

32:43

step outside for some fresh

32:45

air. And one of the

32:47

Yovalde parents followed him. He

32:49

just walks up to me

32:52

and he says, grabs my

32:54

hands and he's in tears.

32:56

And he looks me in

32:59

the eye and he says,

33:01

I... feel like I failed

33:03

you. What he was implying,

33:06

Arthur says, is that as

33:08

someone who lost a child

33:10

in a mass shooting, he

33:13

hadn't prevented the next gunman's

33:15

attack, the next parent's overwhelming

33:17

grief. In this case, Arthur's.

33:19

And all I could do

33:22

is look at him and

33:24

say, you didn't fail me.

33:26

Our system failed us. Our

33:29

protections, our safety for our

33:31

children, our safety period, everything

33:33

surrounding that is what failed

33:36

us. You didn't fail me.

33:38

We're all doing what we

33:40

can. These two fathers now

33:43

regularly keep in touch. They're

33:45

part of a club that

33:47

no one wants to join,

33:49

but whose ranks grow every

33:51

year. You

33:56

might think Arthur Barnard would

33:58

be discouraged by the math

34:00

alone. the number of guns

34:02

and the amount of ammunition

34:04

sold, the number of mass

34:06

shootings, the number of victims.

34:09

But the more gun owners

34:11

he meets, the more he's

34:13

convinced he shouldn't give up.

34:15

The more people I talk

34:17

to, the more people agree

34:19

with what I'm saying. In

34:21

fact, it's better than 95%

34:24

of the people I talk

34:26

to agree with what I'm

34:28

saying. So you feel like

34:30

there's progress. I think there's

34:32

hope. And that's one of

34:34

the things he can tell

34:37

Little Artie the next time

34:39

he parks his car and

34:41

holds his oldest son's photograph

34:43

in his lap outside the

34:45

pool hall where they used

34:47

to go. Breakdown

34:59

is a collaboration between Main Public

35:01

Radio, the Portland Press Herald, and

35:03

Frontline PBS, with support from Rock

35:06

Creek Sound. Our reporters are Patty

35:08

White, Kevin Miller, and Steve Missler.

35:10

The producer is Emily Pisa Crata.

35:13

The show is edited by Ellen

35:15

Weiss, and Keith Shortall. Andrew Catalina

35:18

is our digital editor. Our executive

35:20

producers are Mark Simpson and Aaron

35:22

Texara. Sound Design and Mixing by

35:25

Benjamin Frisch. Fact-checking by Nicole Reiner.

35:27

Legal support from Dale Cohen. Grace

35:29

Cooney and Jane Hecker-Kane were the

35:32

ASL interpreters for Liz Seal. Rick

35:34

Schneider is the president and CEO

35:36

of Maine Public Radio. Lisa Desisto

35:39

is the CEO and publisher of

35:41

the Portland Press Herald. Rainy Aronson

35:44

Roth is the executive producer and

35:46

editor-in-chief of Frontline. Breakdown is produced

35:48

through frontline's local journalism initiative. which

35:51

is funded by

35:53

the the S.

35:55

and James L. Knight

35:58

Foundation. For an For

36:00

an upcoming video

36:02

translation of the

36:05

podcast in American

36:07

Sign Language, go

36:09

to go .org. For

36:12

additional reporting about about

36:14

visit visit .org slash slash

36:16

breakdown, press herald.com, and .org, where

36:18

you can also

36:20

stream the documentary, Breakdown

36:22

Breakdown in If you

36:24

are in crisis, please

36:26

call, text, or

36:28

chat with the the Suicide

36:30

and Crisis Lifeline at contact

36:32

the Crisis the by

36:34

texting TALK to talk

36:36

to 741-741. We're a new a

36:39

new podcast and the best way to

36:41

help us get to