The family of the Maine mass shooter warned cops he was armed and dangerous five months before he killed 18 people. 

It marked the earliest in a string of interactions that police with the 40-year-old firearms instructor before he marched a Lewiston bowling alley and a bar last Wednesday, killing 18 people and wounding 13 others.

It also comes as one of the survivors is speaking out about how Card was ‘relaxed and methodical’ as he aimed his green laser sight and picked off bowling alley victims

Card’s body was found late Friday after committing the deadliest mass shooting in Maine´s history in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls, but it was unclear when he died.

Danielle Grondin, who survived the attacks, said that while he seemed shockingly cool and calm, it didn’t appear that he had mapped out who he would shoot. 

‘I did not have a sense he had any set targets,’ Grondin said. ‘My sense was he saw someone moving and he shot.’

The family of Lewiston, Maine mass shooter Robert Card warned local authorities about his deteriorating mental health and stockpile of firearms five months before he killed 18 people

Danielle Grondin, who survived the attacks, said that while he seemed shockingly cool and calm, it didn’t appear that he had mapped out who he would shoot

It was a busy night where Card carried out the shooting, which first took place at a local bowling alley. 

‘We were in lane 10 and there were four full lanes to the other side of us,’ she told the Bangor Daily News. ‘There were at least three leagues playing there that night.’ 

She added that she’d honestly thought he’d brought a paintball gun to the alley.

‘I had just sat down and put my glasses on the table, and I heard what I felt like was two balloons popping,’ Grondin said. ‘I am so embarrassed to say my first thought was, ‘who brought a paintball gun in here?’ 

Grondin says the closest Card got to her was about 20 feet away but it was enough to see the sights of his weapon. 

‘I saw the light — I can’t say if it was green or blue, but I saw it pointing in our direction,’ she said. ‘I froze — not in fear, but in confusion.’ 

The Sagadohoc County Sheriff’s Office reached out to officials of Robert Card´s Army Reserve unit after family alerted them, which assured deputies that they would speak to Card and make sure he got medical attention, Sheriff Joel Merry said.

The family’s concern about Card’s mental health dated back to early this year before the sheriff’s office was contacted in May. 

Grondin says the closest Card got to her was about 20 feet away but it was enough to see the sights of his weapon

Card’s body was found late Friday after committing the deadliest mass shooting in Maine´s history in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls, but it was unclear when he died

She ultimately didn’t start worrying until she realized her children weren’t at her side. 

‘It’s weird, but at no point at time was I afraid for my own life,’ she said. ‘But with my kids in danger, that’s when I lost it.’ 

Grondin credited her boyfriend Shawn Chabot – who has Air Force and antiterrorism tactical training – with getting her out of there alive. 

‘He used his training,’ Grondin said simply. ‘He told me it was his job to keep me safe.’ 

Unfortunately, the trauma from the incident has stuck with her.

‘Every time I shut my eyes, I see him,’ she said. ‘Every night around this time I start to shake.’

Grondin also mentions having survivor’s guilt and wonders how those who experienced it will ever be ‘normal’ again.

‘It’s hard to understand how it was we were able to run out and someone standing close to me was shot and killed,’ she said. 

Grondin said that she’d honestly thought he’d brought a paintball gun to the alley

A video screen is set up ahead of a vigil for the victims of Wednesday’s mass shootings, Sunday

After an intensive two-day search that put residents on edge, Card was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Card underwent a mental health evaluation last summer after accusing soldiers of calling him a pedophile, shoving one and locking himself in his room during training in New York, officials said. 

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A bulletin sent to police shortly after last week’s attack said Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks after ‘hearing voices and threats to shoot up’ a military base.

Documents released from the sheriff on Monday gave the most detailed timeline yet of other warning signs and failed efforts to stop the gunman months before he killed.

On Sept. 15, a sheriff’s deputy was sent to visit Card´s home for a wellness check at the request of the reserve unit after a soldier said he was afraid Card was ‘going to snap and commit a mass shooting’ because he was hearing voices again. 

The deputy went to Card’s trailer but could not find him – nor the next day on a return visit. The sheriff´s department then sent out a statewide alert for help locating Card with a warning that he was known to be ‘armed and dangerous’ and that officers should use extreme caution.

By this time, Card´s reserve unit had grown sufficiently concerned that it had decided to take away his military-issued firearms, the sheriff´s office was told. 

Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Ruth Castro confirmed that account, adding that Card was also declared ‘non-deployable’ and that multiple attempts were made to contact him.

Robert Card, 40, shot and killed 18 people at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston, Maine, on October 25th. His colleagues reported him to police over a month ago out of concern he would ‘snap’ and carry out a mass shooting 

The manhunt for Card occupied several hundred police officers and took three days. His body was eventually found in a dumpster 

People gather at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday’s mass shootings

According to the deputy’s report after visiting Card’s home, he reached out to the reserves’ unit commander who assured him the Army was trying to get treatment for Card. 

The commander also said he thought ‘it best to let Card have time to himself for a bit.’

The deputy then reached out to Card’s brother. The brother said he had put Card’s firearms in a gun safe in the family farm and would work with their father to move the guns somewhere else and make sure Card couldn’t get other firearms.

Authorities recovered a multitude of weapons while searching for Card after the shooting and believe he had legally purchased them, including a Ruger SFAR rifle found in his car, officials said Monday. A Smith & Wesson M&P15 rifle and Smith & Wesson M&P .40-caliber handgun were with his body.

Authorities have not said whether they believe Card planned the Oct. 25 rampage in advance. Nearly three months ago, he tried and failed to acquire a device used to quiet gunshots, a gun shop owner in Auburn said.

Rick LaChapelle, owner of Coastal Defense Firearms, said Card purchased a suppressor, also called a silencer, online and arranged to pick it up at his shop.

Card already had submitted information to the federal government to purchase it, and federal authorities had approved the sale to that point, he said.

When Card filled out the form at LaChapelle´s gun shop to pick up the silencer Aug. 5, he answered ‘yes’ to the question: ‘Have you ever been adjudicated as a mental defective OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?’

‘As soon as he answered that `yes´ we know automatically that this is disqualifying, he´s not getting a silencer today,’ LaChapelle said.

Bill Brackett, who’s son Billy was killed at the mass shooting at Schemengees Bar and Grille speaks during an interview in front of a makeshift memorial

Law enforcement visited both the military base where shooter Robert Card was a firearms instructor as well as his home, pictured, but found no trace of him – after which, they moved on

Maine police were alerted weeks ago about the shooter’s threats and even paid a visit to shooter Robert Card’s home, but he could not be found. Pictured, law enforcement  are seen on a manhunt in the aftermath of the  mass shooting

Silencers are more heavily regulated under federal law than most firearms. Federal law requires buyers to apply with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and be approved. The dealer must do a background check ,too

He said Card was polite when notified of the denial, mentioned something about the military and said he would ‘come right back’ after consulting his lawyer.

Investigators are facing increasing public scrutiny and still searching for a motive for the massacre but have increasingly focused on Card´s mental health history.

On Monday, Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, held a news conference to provide an update on the response to the shooting. The conference turned contentious quickly when Mills declined to provide information about what the investigation has turned up so far.

Mills said state lawmakers would revisit Maine gun control laws. Proposals for tighter laws have stalled or failed in recent legislative sessions.

‘I´m not going to stand here today and tell you I´m proposing X, Y and Z,’ she said. ‘I´m here to listen, work with others and get people around the table as promptly as possible.’

Residents of Lewiston returned to work Monday, the morning after coming together to mourn those lost in the shootings. More than 1,000 people attended Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul for a vigil in Lewiston.

The deadliest shooting in Maine´s history stunned a state of 1.3 million people that has relatively little violent crime and only 29 killings in all of 2022.