A man lost his life and multiple individuals were injured in a shooting that occurred Saturday night at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, New Hampshire, according to officials. A suspect was taken into custody and faced murder charges, as announced by authorities early Sunday morning.
The event took place approximately at 8 p.m. ET at the country club situated on Mountain Laurels Drive in Nashua, roughly 45 miles northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. The shooting lasted less than a minute, as reported by New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella.
Formella and Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke revealed late Saturday night that an adult man was shot and killed, with two other adults sustaining gunshot injuries. One of the injured individuals was a staff member working as a host for the wedding, who was shot in the face while in the hallway, according to officials. They were transported by medical helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and are currently in critical but stable condition.
Another gunshot victim was a patron at the PRIME restaurant located within the country club, as stated by Formella. There has been no further information regarding their health status. At least four additional individuals were hurt in the incident, including a broken hand, lacerations, and other injuries, according to Curran.
Officials have confirmed the victim as 59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare. Formella mentioned that DeCesare was dining with his family at the restaurant. An autopsy is scheduled for Monday.
The individual, recognized as 23-year-old Hunter Nadeau, was taken into custody and faced a charge of second-degree murder. According to Rourke, law enforcement located Nadeau in a nearby area within 30 minutes of the shooting.
Formella mentioned that Nadeau lives in Nashua and previously worked at Sky Meadow. He left the job approximately a year back, although authorities did not reveal if he was let go or left on his own.
More charges are expected to be filed, including against the additional shooting victims, stated the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office.
Authorities stated there is no identified link between Nadeau and the victims. Officials mentioned they are investigating to uncover his reason, but confirmed the shooting was not driven by hatred.
“At this moment, we have no evidence suggesting that Mr. Nadeau was driven by a hate-related motive,” stated Formella.
There were accounts of remarks Nadeau made during the incident, but Formella stated that “the evidence suggests it is more probable that Mr. Nadeau attempted to make several statements to cause disruption at that time.”
Police initially stated that two armed suspects had escaped after the shooting, with one being arrested. Approximately an hour later, however, police mentioned that after reviewing security camera footage,they believedThere was only a single shooter, and the individual was in custody.
“Video evidence has verified that there was a single shooter, who is now in custody. The area remains under active investigation, but there is no ongoing threat to the public,” said Nashua police.
Governor Kelly Ayotte has been informed about the shooting, as stated by Formella.
A man strikes a gunman in the head with a chair
Witness Sophie Flabouris was at a wedding within the country club. She mentioned that the shooting occurred at the restaurant in the adjacent room. She stated that an individual struck the shooter on the head.with a chairThe injured suspect sprinted through the wedding celebration and into the kitchen, Flabouris reported.
This turned out to be a relatively limited incident. It lasted less than a minute and was not nearly as severe as it might have been. I would like to recognize the brave and selfless actions of the customers in the restaurant who once again set aside their own safety to step in, stop the shooter, and ensure this situation remained far more contained than it could have been.
Flabouris mentioned that she took cover beneath the table and then fled to a nearby locker room for safety.
I initially concealed myself beneath the table, covered by a tablecloth. Your next thought is, am I safe here? Am I an easy target? What’s going to happen next? Is this person going to come in? Will he check under tablecloths? Will he start shooting everyone in the room? You have no idea. It’s extremely frightening to go through something like that.
Witness describes turmoil caused by the shooting
This morning, as I woke up and realized that anything could have occurred, the chaos was incredible, it was terrifying,” said witness Jolene Knisell, who was on the country club’s patio with her husband when the shooting happened. “We were on the patio, which is directly under PRIME where the shooting took place. I heard someone scream. Another person shouted, ‘There’s a gun, a shooter,’ so we immediately started running.
Nadaeu is scheduled to appear before the Ninth Circuit Court in Nashua at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday.
Sky Meadow Country Club announcement
Sky Meadow is a exclusive countryside club featuring a golf course, dining establishments, and an event hall.
I, along with all members of the Sky Meadow Country Club community, am deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred last night. This was a despicable act committed by a coward who will face consequences for his actions,” stated Sky Meadow Country Club owner Rob Parsons in a statement. “Sky Meadow and the City of Nashua are secure, close-knit communities founded on unity, kindness, and strength. These principles have been clearly shown through the numerous messages of support we have received since this terrible event began.
Sky Meadow Country Club is situated approximately five minutes beyond the Massachusetts border.
