The Army reservist who went on a mass shooting spree in Maine last year, killing 18 people and injuring more than a dozen others, likely suffered from a traumatic brain injury stemming from his time as a grenade instructor in the military. The family announced.
Tissue analysis of Robert Card III’s body revealed that he had “evidence of traumatic brain injury,” the statement said. The findings were announced on Wednesday. It was done by his family in collaboration with the Boston University Concussion Legacy Foundation.
“Significant degeneration, loss of axons and myelin, inflammation, and small blood vessel damage occurred in the white matter, the nerve fibers that enable communication between different regions of the brain,” Dr. Anne McKee said in a statement.
McKee said Card’s brain tissue showed no evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
“These findings are consistent with previous studies on the effects of blast injuries in humans and experimental models,” the doctor explained.
“While we cannot say with certainty that these pathological findings underlie 10-month-old Mr. Card’s behavioral changes, based on our previous research, we believe that the brain injury plays a role in his symptoms. “It’s very likely that it was,” she concluded.
Card, 40, was a longtime instructor at an Army grenade range, where he was exposed to “thousands” of low-level explosions, the Concussion Legacy Foundation said.
On October 25th, a father-of-one killed 18 people and injured 13 others in a devastating shooting at a bowling alley and bar in downtown Lewiston.
He was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his trailer after a two-day search.
Authorities later revealed that Card, who had been briefly hospitalized last summer due to concerns about his health, had been alive for eight to 12 hours before his body was discovered.
The Maine Office of the Chief Medical Examiner requested a post-mortem study of Card’s brain following the horrific shooting.
“We would like to express how deeply sorry and heartbroken we are to all the victims, survivors, and their loved ones, and to all those in and outside of Maine who have been affected and traumatized by this tragedy. I would like to start with this,” Card’s family said in Concussion Legacy. This is the center’s press release.
“We are hurting for you and with you. It’s hard to express how sad we would be if we could undo what happened,” loved ones added, adding, “We can’t go back, but… We will present Robert’s findings.” This brain research aims to support ongoing efforts to learn from this tragedy in order to prevent it from happening again. ”
“By publishing these findings, we hope to raise awareness of traumatic brain injury among military members and encourage further research and support for service members who have sustained traumatic brain injury.” said.
The Concussion Legacy Center says research into Card’s brain will continue.
Army officials are also scheduled to testify Thursday before the state commission investigating the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history. The Portland Press Herald reported..
