A former Army Reservist who knew Robert Card, the gunman responsible for last year’s massacre in Lewiston Maine, testified about the mental issues that he observed in his friend in the weeks leading up to the tragedy.

Sean Hodgson testified that he alerted his leaders to the erratic and violent behavior of the gunman. But his warnings were ignored.

Six weeks before the shooting that left 18 dead, Sean Hodgson texted leaders in his Army Reserve unit. He instructed them to change the passcode to the Army Reserve Training Facility if Robert Card showed up and to arm themselves.

Hodgson told a panel investigating mass shootings that he had warned superiors about Card’s violent, delusional behavior when it spiraled out of control and culminated with Card punching him.

“I said, Just to let You know that I Love You. I Will Always Be There For You. I Won’t Let You Down.” Hodgson remembered his friend had given him a blank look before driving off.

Card said that he warned his superiors in September about the possibility of mass shootings. Hodgson and others raised concerns about Card’s behavior.

Card spent two weeks at the hospital after his family reported him to police as being paranoid.

An investigation has been ongoing for months now into the failure of authorities to remove Card’s guns from his home in the weeks before the shooting. State lawmakers have also passed laws on gun safety.

An Independent Commission, Launched by Gov. Janet Mills determined that the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office possessed probable cause under Maine’s yellow-flag law to arrest Card and confiscate his firearms. In the report, police were also criticized for not following up with Hodgson about his warning text. A final report is expected to be completed by summer.

Hodgson and others were worried about a mass shooting after Card made several threats. The reservist was “pretty certain” that he’d harm.

Daryl Reed said Card’s mental state had deteriorated to the point that Reed thought people were falsely accusing him of pedophilia. Card was released from psychiatric care after only two weeks, which increased his and other reservist’s concerns.

Hodgson said that even though he was repeatedly warned by superiors, the matter did not appear to be taken seriously.

Some officials downplayed Hodgson’s warning, suggesting that he was intoxicated due to the lateness of his message. Jeremy Reamer said that he is “not the most trustworthy of our soldiers” and that the message should be taken with a “grain of salt”.

Hodgson said he did not drink that night. He suffers from post-traumatic disorder and alcoholism. He was awake while he waited to hear from his boss.

There were numerous calls for gun control after the shooting. An independent commission concluded that more gun control measures wouldn’t have stopped Card. The yellow flag laws did not work. Maine legislators passed three gun laws as a result of public pressure.