Suspect in New Hampshire country club shooting to appear in court

CONCORD, N.H. — A man charged in a fatal shooting at a New Hampshire country club was set to appear in court Monday, authorities said, as patrons inside the club's dining room acted quickly to stop the gunman and avert a worse tragedy. One person was killed and two others were wounded Saturday at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua.

Hunter Nadeau, 23, of Nashua, a former employee of the club, was taken into custody in a nearby neighborhood and charged with one count of second-degree murder. He was due to be arraigned Monday afternoon, according to state Attorney General John Formella.

Robert DeCesare Jr., 59, was killed in the shooting, and his wife described in an email how the shooter walked into the room and appeared to be targeting a restaurant employee. Charlene DeCesare, speaking to The Associated Press through her family, said she was closest to him when he was shot and that her husband acted to protect them.

In a separate message, DeCesare’s widow said she was “unbelievably traumatized” and that her husband loved golf, poker and pickleball and was cherished by his family and community. She urged the public to beware speculation, describing it as “utter nonsense” that only makes a difficult situation harder for those involved, including police.

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said Nadeau made a number of statements during the shooting and 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.” He said a DJ working at the wedding, Michael Homewood, described another intervention that helped subdue the gunman when someone struck him with a chair, an action that Homewood said likely saved lives.

Rob Parsons, the club’s owner, said he was heartbroken over the shooting and called DeCesare a hero, adding that the community is reeling from the loss and the injuries to others.

Investigators were working to determine a motive, Formella said, and there is no known connection between Nadeau and DeCesare. Authorities initially thought there could be two shooters but later said there was only one.

“Additional charges likely will be brought, including for the additional shooting victims,” Formella and Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke said in a joint statement.

One of the surviving gunshot victims was an employee of the club, and the other was a patron; the employee was hospitalized in critical but stable condition, while the other victim’s status was not immediately released, Formella said. In addition to the three gunshot victims, Nashua Fire Rescue reported four other people suffered non-gunshot injuries, including lacerations, a broken hand and blunt-force trauma. The agency said it assisted roughly 100 people from the scene to a nearby firehouse, mostly on foot.

Governor Kelly Ayotte said the attorney general’s office would assist Nashua police with the investigation and that she and her husband were praying for the victims and their families.

The DeCesare family described a sense of shock and loss, with the widow emphasizing the desire for privacy as they cope with the aftermath. In Nashua, the shooting has prompted an outpouring of support for those affected, and authorities have urged the public to let investigators work.

Nashua is about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northwest of Boston, just across the Massachusetts border, according to state geography.