In October, Army Reservist, Robert Card walked into a Bowling Alley in Lewiston, Maine and opened fire killing seven people. Card then traveled to the nearby Schemengees Bar and Grille where he shot and killed an additional eight people. Hundreds of law enforcement officers participated in a manhunt to locate and apprehend Card until his remains were found in the back of a tractor-trailer that weekend, having taken his own life.
In the aftermath of the rampage, it was revealed that Card's friends and family were concerned for him and some had even alerted local authorities that he appeared to be having psychotic episodes, including hearing voices. His commanding officers at his Army reserve unit even had him checked into a psychiatric facility for several weeks.
Now questions are being raised as to whether or not Card's time in the military, and possible traumatic brain injuries played a role in his mental health issues. As a petroleum supply specialist, Card was not deployed to combat however he did serve as an instructor on a grenade range where he may have been exposed to as many as 10,000 grenade blasts during summers where he would supervise West Point cadets, according to the New York Times.
Soldiers are routinely exposed to blasts from the use of mortars, grenades, recoilless rifles, and military demolitions which medical research has shown can lead to traumatic brain injuries. When a blast wave travels through the human body, the tissues expand and contract, including the brain. This leads to what doctors call Interface Astroglial Scarring or IAS.
TBI is defined as, “a traumatically induced structural injury or physiological disruption of brain function, as the result of an external force that is indicated by new onset or worsening of at least one of the following clinical signs immediately following the event: Any alteration in mental status (e.g., confusion, disorientation, slowed thinking, etc.). Any loss of memory for events immediately before or after the injury. Any period of loss of or a decreased level of consciousness, observed or self-reported," in a research paper titled Modern Warfare Destroys Brains.
According to the Times, a state medical examiner has sent a portion of Mr. Card's brain to the lab for further analysis to determine if his military service may have affected his mental state.