Maine Shooting Suspect “Liked” Anti-Trans Social Media Posts
The alleged mass shooter in Lewiston, Maine, "liked" anti-transgender comments from right-wing influencers on social media.
A man accused of committing a mass shooting at a bar and a bowling alley in Maine reportedly “liked” a number of social media posts from right-wing figures and influencers, including several anti-transgender posts.
Maine State Police are currently searching for a “person of interest” in the shooting, identified as 40-year-old Robert Card, a firearms instructor and member of the U.S. Army from Bowdoin, Maine. They describe him as “armed and dangerous.”
Card allegedly shot up Schemengees Bar and Grille and Sparetime Recreation bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday evening, killing at least 18 people and injuring 13 others, according to The Associated Press.
The two sites are four miles away from each other, meaning the alleged shooter would have had to use a vehicle to transport himself. The Lewiston Police Department released a photograph of a white Subaru Outback that officers said may have a painted black bumper.
It remains unclear what the motivation for the mass shooting was.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the incident is the worst mass shooting in the United States this year.
Following news of the shooting and the release of Card’s name, misinformation was spread widely along social media channels, as noted by Wired.
Among the bogus claims that were made included that Card had been arrested — he has not — with some accounts linking to a video of a person being arrested. That same video was widely circulated on TikTok.
Other claims are that Card was previously arrested for possessing and disseminating sexually explicit materials, but the photo and the arrest record belong to another person named Robert Card, who is also 40 years old and from Maine.
Still others claimed that Card was a “far-left lunatic,” claiming — without evidence — that he had voted for former U.S. President Barack Obama, or that he was a supporter of the Middle East terrorist group Hamas.
Card’s Facebook and X accounts have been deactivated, although it’s unknown whether Card deactivated them himself or whether the accounts were suspended by the services.
According to screen grabs and videos from what appears to be Robert Card’s Facebook page, he finished a 20-year career in the Army earlier this year.
A video of Card’s X account, using the username @RobertC20041800, appears to show he “liked” tweets from several right-wing figures, including Donald Trump, Jr., Tucker Carlson, and Dinesh D’Souza. He also liked tweets from former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
According to Newsweek, Card reportedly liked a tweet from Donald Trump, Jr., who mused about transgender shooters in the wake of the Covenant School shooting in Nashville.
“Given the incredible rise of trans/nonbinary mass shooters in the last few years…by far the largest group committing as a percentage of the population… maybe, rather than talking about guns we should be talking about lunatics pushing their gender affirming bullshit on our kids?” Trump tweeted.
He also liked a similar post from Tucker Carlson on the same subject.
“The trans movement, it turns out, is the mirror image of Christianity, and therefore its natural enemy. People who believe they’re God can’t stand to be reminded that they’re not,” Carlson wrote.
Card also reportedly liked a post from Dinesh D’Souza criticizing efforts to ban assault weapons.
“Ban assault weapons,” D’Souza wrote. “Well, cars kill more people than guns do. But we blame the drivers. We don’t ban large or fast cars. We understand that cars, like guns, don’t act by themselves. The blame lies with the people who operate these mechanical devices. Common sense 101.”
Screenshots of posts from Card, which were posted by Yeshiva World News reporter Moshe Schwartz, show him only having posted twice on X.
ANALYSIS: An X account that appears to be that of the Lewiston, Maine, mass shooting suspect Robert Card, shows some interesting things, including the shooters liking posts from Lamar Jackson, Donald Trump Jr, Dinesh D'Souza, and responding to a CNBC post.
The account only has 2… pic.twitter.com/2Ygt5Mnvc0
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) October 26, 2023
He also replied to a CNBC news story about WNBA star Brittney Griner being released from jail in Russia, where she was convicted on drug smuggling charges for possessing vape cartridges with traces of hashish oil in what some characterized as a politically-motivated arrest by the Russian government.
“Mass murderer for a wnba player great job keep up the good work,” Card responded to the post, referring to the prisoner swap that ultimately led to Griner’s release.
According to The AP, Card had been committed to a mental health facility for two weeks earlier this year after reportedly “hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco Maine.”
He remains at large, leading Maine law enforcement authorities to warn citizens not to approach Card or make contact with him if they recognize him.
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