The gun that investigators believe the Lewiston mass shooting suspect, Robert Card, used to kill 18 people and wound 13 others was purchased legally just days before he was hospitalized and ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, multiple law enforcement sources told CNN.
In mid-July, New York State Police were called to Camp Smith in Cortlandt, New York — the military base where Card served — because he was acting “belligerently and possibly intoxicated,” according to a source briefed on the matter.
Three law enforcement sources told CNN the state police brought Card to a nearby hospital, where he was treated for suspected intoxication and released the next day.
Card’s encounter with New York State Police and his National Guard superiors occurred just 10 days after he purchased a high-powered rifle at a Maine gun store, according to law enforcement sources.
What we know about the weapon: The rifle was a Ruger SFAR, chambered for high-powered .308 ammunition, the sources said.
The .308 round is favored by military snipers firing at long distances and big game hunters. It's larger and more powerful than the regular ammunition carried in the rifles of soldiers and SWAT teams.
One of the challenges in identifying victims at the two crime scenes from Wednesday's mass shooting was nearly all the victims were shot in the head, rendering some of them unrecognizable, a law enforcement source told CNN.
The sources say the weapon found inside Card’s 2013 white Subaru Outback appears to be the same one fired by the gunman at the bowling alley and a local bar, though a ballistics match has not been confirmed.
The weapon will be processed by the FBI and ATF for fingerprints and DNA, and then run through laboratory testing to determine if the bullets and shell casings found at the scene match.
Sources tell CNN Card also bought a Beretta 92-F 9mm semi-automatic pistol, along with the rifle, in the same July purchase.
More on the mental health episode: A federal law enforcement source told CNN the army gave Card a “Command Referral” to seek treatment after the shooting suspect told army personnel at Camp Smith that he had been “hearing voices” and had thoughts about “hurting other soldiers.”
A National Guard spokesperson confirmed to CNN that Card was transported to the nearby Keller Army Community Hospital at the United States Military Academy for “medical evaluation,” after Army Reserve officials reported Card for “behaving erratically.”
When asked for information about their July encounter with Card, a New York State Police spokesperson told CNN, “This is an active investigation, and the New York State Police does not comment on active investigations."
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