(NewsNation) — The man who went on a shooting spree in Lewiston, Maine, last week had suffered a break up months prior to the attack and believed he was the subject of accusations that he was a pedophile, according to court documents.
The new details about the events preceding the Oct. 25 attack at a bowling alley and restaurant were contained in an arrest warrant affidavit made public Tuesday.
Maine State Police detectives said in the affidavit that a woman, whose name was redacted, told them the night of the shooting that the suspect, 40-year-old Robert Card, “had been delusional since February 2023” when his girlfriend broke up with him.
The woman told police in the months that followed, Card lost a significant amount of weight, was hospitalized for mental health issues and prescribed medication that he stopped taking. According to the affidavit, Card also believed that people were spreading rumors that he was a pedophile, allegations broadcast by the two businesses he targeted: Just-In-Time Recreation and Schemengees Bar and Grill.
“Robert also believed that his family was involved in the conspiracy,” the affidavit states.
The search warrant affidavit also states that police were told by Card’s brother that Card met his ex-girlfriend at a cornhole competition at Schemengees, and that ever since the relationship ended, “Robert started wearing hearing aids and had been saying crazy things.”
Another man interviewed by police said Card also mentioned bar manager Joey Walker was one of the people who Card thought had disparaged him, according to the affidavit. Walker was among those killed.
Members of Card’s Army reserve unit also have told authorities he accused fellow soldiers of calling him a pedophile.
Card was found dead two days after the shootings that killed 18 people. His body was recovered by police in the nearby town of Lisbon Falls, close to a recycling center from which he had recently been fired.
Days after the shootings, investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the attacks. So far, law enforcement officials have focused on Card’s history of mental health issues and cited his paranoia as a likely factor.
Five months before the shootings, Card’s own family alerted the local sheriff they were concerned about his deteriorating mental health and access to guns.
Authorities have recovered several weapons they believe Card legally purchased. A Ruger SFAR rifle was found in his car and two others, a Smith & Wesson M&P .40 caliber handgun and a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle, were found with his body, the Maine Department of Public Safety said Monday.
NewsNation reporter Andrew Dorn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.