Federal Judge Weighs Dismissal of Lewiston Shooting Victims' Suit

A federal judge in Portland heard arguments on October 8, 2026, over whether to toss out a lawsuit that blames the U.S. Army for repeatedly failing to take away the guns belonging to Robert Card, an Army reservist who carried out the October 25, 2023, shooting in Lewiston that killed 18 people and injured 13 others. More than 100 survivors and relatives of victims sued the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, contending Army policy obligated officials to seize Card's firearms. The government is asking U.S. Chief District Judge Lance Walker to throw out the case, pointing to legal exemptions such as discretionary immunity. Attorney Jamal Alsaffar, who represents the plaintiffs, told the judge dismissal would shut down a discovery process, saying, "Let us discover how deep this negligence goes." Government lawyers argued Card's stay at Keller Army Community Hospital in New York, after he threatened other soldiers while taking part in a training exercise in July 2023, was voluntary and carried no mandatory duty to confiscate his weapons. Card was released two weeks later despite additional threats, according to Central Maine. Alsaffar drew a comparison to a Texas church shooting case that ended in a $230 million judgment against the government, later settled for $144.5 million, though he said that gunman had a disqualifying conviction Card lacked. Two consolidated lawsuits, filed in September 2024 and April 2026, remain pending before Walker, who had not issued a ruling on dismissal as of the hearing.

This story was first reported by Central Maine.