LISBON, Maine — A man from Wiscasset has written a book about the Lewiston shooting, which is now being sold online and in stores in Maine.
Robert Conlin is a former newspaper reporter who spoke with shooting victims' family members, as well as Robert Card's family and friends.
In the book, he details the moments leading up to the shootings, the subsequent manhunt, and the reckoning on law enforcement and the U.S. Army Reserve over what more they could have done to prevent Card from having access to his weapons.
Conlin spoke with Elizabeth Seal, the wife of sign language interpreter Joshua Seal. Her husband was killed in the shootings. Conlin also spoke with Arthur Barnard, the father of Arthur Strout, who was also killed. He interviewed the owners of Just-In-Time, the bowling alley where Card killed several people, and staff who made eye contact with Robert Card when he entered the business.
He also interviewed Card's ex-wife, Cara Lamb, as well as Nicole Herling, Card's sister. Conlin also spoke with Sean Hodgson, Card's fellow Reservist and best friend in the battalion.
Conlin said he felt it was important a Maine native write this story before someone from out of state did.
"I'm not going to make it about me, but yeah, it is really hard. How do you not sit across from a human being that has lost a son or a husband, father and not feel, you know, impacted by it? It's hard to hear," Conlin said. "That tenet that held true for me through the book was, 'Let's shine a light on some of these things.' If you do not hold your institutions accountable, then they will not respond accordingly. "
The book is available on Amazon and in Sherman's bookstores across Maine.