Lewiston shooting commission likely to get subpoena powers this week

The Maine Legislature is poised to grant subpoena powers to the special commission investigating the mass shooting in Lewiston that left 18 dead.

Both the House and the Senate gave initial approval to a subpoena powers bill on Thursday, setting the measure up for final passage likely this week.

The independent commission investigating the October mass shooting has, in recent weeks, heard from police as well as family members of victims. But the commission wants subpoena powers in order to obtain confidential records or compel testimony from witnesses.

This could be particularly important when it comes to learning more about gunman Robert Card’s psychiatric condition and how the U.S. Army Reserve handled concerns about his mental state in the months before the shooting.

The Army is conducting its own internal investigation. But the director of Maine’s independent commission told lawmakers last month that they were running into “issues” getting information from the Army.

The commission is slated to hear this Thursday from officials at the Maine State Police, which led the two-day manhunt for Card before he was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.