The U.S. Army released a statement on Thursday night pushing back on some of the claims that were made in a police bulletin by Maine State Police this week about the suspect who is wanted for allegedly shooting dozens of people in Lewiston.
The reported shooter is wanted by police for allegedly murdering 18 people and wounding over a dozen more in shootings Wednesday night at Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, previously known as Sparetime Recreation, and Schemengees Bar & Grille Restaurant.
The Associated Press reported that the police bulletin said that the alleged shooter was “a trained firearms instructor believed to be in the Army Reserve stationed out of Saco, ME.”
The Army said in a statement that the alleged shooter was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment, and that he was not trained as a firearms instructor by the U.S. military.
“SFC [name removed] is assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment in Saco, Maine,” the statement said. “While his unit supported West Point summer training in July of 2023, there are no records to indicate he instructed or participated in any training. The Army did not train SC [him] as a firearms instructor, nor did he serve in that capacity for the Army. Due to the Privacy Act and the ongoing investigation, we cannot provide further details.”
“We take matters such as this very seriously, and our primary concern is ensuring that all legal and appropriate actions are taken in accordance with our commitment to upholding the highest standards of conduct among our Soldiers and civilian personnel,” the statement continued. “We will continue to collaborate and support local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.”
The bulletin further stated that the alleged shooter “recently reported mental health issues to include hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME.”
“[He] was also reported to have been committed to mental health facility for two weeks during summer 2023 and subsequently released,” it added.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP
The fact that the alleged shooter was committed to a mental health facility for a period of weeks indicates that it was an involuntary commitment, which means that he would have been banned from owning or possessing firearms.
The ATF states: “Any person who has been ‘adjudicated as a mental defective’ or ‘committed to a mental institution’ is prohibited under Federal law from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing any firearm or ammunition.”
The Daily Wire has a policy of not naming mass shooters to deprive them of undeserved notoriety.