Maine Sheriff's Prior Justification for Taking Mass Shooting Killer into Protective Custody Revealed

An independent commission concluded that the sheriff's office investigating the man who committed Maine's deadliest mass shooting had cause to take away his guns and put him in protective custody before the tragedy. The commission criticized the sheriff's office for not realizing they had probable cause to start a process to temporarily remove the shooter's guns during a mental health crisis. The report focused heavily on the actions of the sheriff’s office while ignoring the broader issue of access to guns by potentially dangerous people in the state. The shooter, an Army reservist, was well-known to law enforcement, and his family and fellow service members had raised concerns about his behavior and deteriorating mental health before the shootings.