Robert Steven DeCesare Obituary, Death;- A gunman opened fire at a country club in New Hampshire on Saturday during a wedding ceremony, resulting in one fatality and two injuries, according to authorities.
The deceased, identified as 59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare, was confirmed by New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke to have died at the Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua.
Authorities have named the suspect as 23-year-old Hunter Nadeau, who has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder for intentionally shooting DeCesare.
“Additional charges are expected to be filed, including those related to the other shooting victims,” Formella and Rourke stated in a press release. They anticipate that Nadeau will be arraigned at the Ninth Circuit Court in Nashua on Monday.
Initially, authorities believed there might have been two shooters, but they later clarified that this was incorrect and confirmed there was only one. Police assured the public that there was no ongoing threat.
Investigators are still working to ascertain the motive behind the shooting, as stated by New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley.
Details regarding the conditions of the injured victims have not been made available at this time.
Tom Bartelson from Pepperell, Massachusetts, who was present at the country club, recounted a scene of chaos that erupted during his nephew’s wedding. He reported hearing the shooter declare “the children are safe” and “free Palestine,” suggesting he was targeting a specific individual.
“We were gathered for a dance for the bride and groom when suddenly chaos erupted,” he recounted. “We heard approximately six shots, and everyone ducked for cover. Before we knew it, we were being rushed into safe areas and similar actions were taken.”
He noted that many attendees dropped to the ground in an attempt to escape the situation, leading to widespread panic.
“We were focused on ensuring the safety of our family members,” he explained. “We tried to keep everyone down and locate safe areas.”
The mother of DeCesare, the deceased, had previously expressed her distress at not being able to locate her son after he was shot.
“He fell down. My daughter-in-law and granddaughter managed to escape.
Emily Ernst, who was at the scene, said she saw a gunman in all black.
“He had a mask on. We just saw him raise the gun and then we ran,” Ernst said. “I ran through the kitchen for my life.”
Aerial video from WMUR-TV showed multiple emergency responders heading to the scene. Later, Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess said he had faith in police to “get to the bottom of this and bring the perpetrator to justice.”
He added: “I think the message is for every community out there is that no matter how unlikely it seems it can happen where you live.”
U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander said in a statement that she was “closely monitoring the tragic reports of a shooting tonight at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua” and that her heart was with the victims, their families and the community.
