Patrons at New Hampshire country club shooting prevented a worse tragedy, official says

NASHUA, N.H. — Patrons at a restaurant acted quickly and selflessly to stop a gunman who opened fire while a wedding was taking place at a New Hampshire country club, averting a worse tragedy, authorities said Sunday.

One person was killed and two others were wounded by the gunfire Saturday night before the suspect was taken into custody in a nearby neighborhood shortly afterward, authorities said.

The gunfire killed Robert Steven DeCesare, 59, at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, said New Hampshire Atty. Gen. John Formella and Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke. They identified the suspect as Hunter Nadeau, 23, of Nashua, and said he had been arrested and charged with one count of second-degree murder.

Nadeau was a former employee of the club, Formella said. Witnesses at the scene reported that Nadeau said “free Palestine” during the confusion. Formella said Nadeau made a number of statements during the shooting and appeared to be attempting to cause chaos in the moment as opposed to showing a political motivation, he said.

Some witnesses said someone struck Nadeau with a chair in an attempt to subdue him. Formella cited “selfless acts of courage by the patrons in the restaurant who put aside care for their own safety and worked to intervene and stop the shooter.”

The shooting happened adjacent to a wedding that was taking place at the club.

Wedding DJ Michael Homewood credited the chair strike with preventing a worse tragedy.

“He hit him over the head with a chair, and he probably saved a bunch of lives just doing that,” Homewood told WCVB-TV.

Motive undetermined

Investigators were still working to determine a motive, Formella said. Police did not immediately respond to a question about whether Nadeau is represented by an attorney, and attempts to reach the suspect’s family members were not immediately successful. Authorities said there is no known connection between Nadeau and DeCesare.

Authorities had initially thought there could be two shooters before determining there was a lone gunman.

“Additional charges likely will be brought, including for the additional shooting victims,” Formella and Rourke said in a statement. Nadeau is expected to be arraigned Monday in the 9th Circuit Court in Nashua, they said.

Nashua is about 45 miles northwest of Boston, just across the Massachusetts border.

One of the surviving gunshot victims was an employee and the other was a patron, Formella said. The employee is hospitalized in critical but stable condition, while the other victim’s status is unknown, he said. He said at least four other people at the scene suffered non-gunshot wounds that were not expected to be life-threatening.

Victim’s widow speaks out

Charlene DeCesare, widow Robert DeCesare, said in an email that she was “unbelievably traumatized” and was focusing on caring for the couple’s children in the aftermath of the shootings.

“Our lives are forever changed in one moment that would be senseless except for the belief that Rob was trying to protect me and my daughter, and maybe others there too. In our hearts, he’s a hero,” she said.

She said her husband loved golf, poker and pickleball and was loved by his family and community. She also asked that the public “beware the speculation and utter nonsense that is being posted about what happened and why” and said it was “only making it harder for everyone involved, including the police who are trying to do their job.”

A chaotic scene

The mother of DeCesare had earlier described not being able to find her son after he was shot.

“He went down. My daughter-in-law and granddaughter escaped. ... They saw my son go down and they saw blood,” said Evie O’Rourke of Salem, N.H.

Sophie Flabouris, another witness, told WCVB-TV that someone hit the suspect over the head with a chair to subdue him. Flabouris said the suspect then fled.

“We had just gathered around the dance floor. We were about to do a Greek smashing of the plates and throwing the dollar bills. The bride had just come up to me and gave me the plates to say, ‘All right, you give this to my husband.’ And all of a sudden we heard, ‘Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop.’ Heard five shots,” she told the TV station. “All of a sudden heard, ‘Gun!’ Chaos, screaming, and then running.”

Emily Ernst said she saw a gunman in all black. “He had a mask on. We just saw him raise the gun and then we ran,” she said. “I ran through the kitchen for my life.”

Tom Bartelson of Pepperell, Mass., described a chaotic scene that unfolded near his nephew’s wedding.

“Getting together for a dance for the bride and groom and then all chaos went off,” he said. “We heard about six shots and everybody ducked for cover, and next thing you know, we’re rushed into safe spots and things like that.”

Casey and Whittle write for the Associated Press and reported from Nashua and Scarborough, Maine, respectively.