Still-at-large Maine mass shooting suspect Robert Card had recently started wearing a hearing aid, which he blamed for disturbing voices in his head — including ones he heard at the bar that was shot up during a weekly event for other members of the local deaf community.
The 40-year-old Army Reservist had blamed his new, powerful hearing aid on hearing people bashing him, his sister-in-law, Katie Card, told the Daily Beast, saying it “all just happened within the last few months.”
That included paranoia over both locations shot up in Wednesday night’s Lewiston massacre — in which at least four members of the deaf community have been identified among the 18 murdered at a bar and bowling alley.
Steven Vozzella, Bill Bracket, Bryan MacFarlane, and Joshua Seal were among those gunned down at Schemengees Bar & Grille during the weekly Wednesday night hangout for the deaf community to play cornhole.
It was not immediately clear if the 40-year-old military marksman is believed to have specifically targeted deaf people because of his own hearing loss.
However, his family blamed the device for Card reporting alarming voices in his head — saying that he singled out both Schemengees Bar and the Just-In-Time Recreation Bowl, where another 11 were slaughtered Wednesday.
“He truly believed he was hearing people say things,” Katie said of her brother-in-law. “This all just happened within the last few months.”
Maine police allege Card walked into the Just-In-Time Recreation Bowl in Lewiston shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday and opened fire with an assault rifle. Minutes later, he allegedly struck at Schemengees Bar & Grille about two miles away, killing people inside and out.
As well as the 18 killed, another 13 were injured by gunfire — including a 10-year-old girl.
Tthe four members of the deaf community known to be among the dead included Seal, who gained attention as one of the lead interpreters for Gov. Janet Mills and Dr. Nirav Shah’s daily COVID briefings during the pandemic.
Members of the deaf community say the murders hit them particularly hard.
“We are a community, a tight-knit community and support one another, and it’s devastating to know that we have lost some of our most valued, most cared for and cherished individuals within our community,” interpreter Regan Thibideau said, according to Fox 23.
Deaf actress and activist Marlee Matlin also expressed her grief for the community in a post on X.
“Mass shootings are horrible, but yesterday’s strikes the deaf community everywhere especially hard,” she wrote Thursday.
“When mass shootings affect a tightly knit community like ours, it shows that NO ONE is immune to such horrific violence,” Matlin explained.
“My heart hurts for everyone.”