A gunman killed one person and injured two others at a wedding in New Hampshire, according to reports. Tom Bartelson, who said he was the uncle of the groom, recounted hearing the shooter yell, “free Palestine” and “the children are safe” as the horror scene unfolded. The perpetrator reportedly stormed the wedding reception at Sky Meadow Country Club on Saturday afternoon, as the couple took the floor for their first dance.
“We heard about six shots and everybody ducked for cover,” Mr Bartelson said. “Next thing you know, we’re being rushed into safe spots and things like that.” Robert Steven DeCesare, 59, was confirmed to have been killed in the shooting, with two others injured, according to AP. Police arrested Hunter Nadeau, 23, on Saturday evening and charged him with murder.
Some witness accounts suggested Nadeau was struck by a chair in the chaos after the gun was fired. New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella praised staff at the country club for their “selfless acts of courage” and who “put aside care for their own safety and worked to intervene and stop the shooter”.
Wedding DJ Michael Homewood credited the person who had hit the gunman with a chair for preventing more lives being lost. “He hit him over the head with a chair and he probably saved a bunch of lives just doing that,” he told WCVB-TV.
Emily Ernst also recounted seeing the shooter enter in an all-black outfit. “He had a mask on,” she said. “We just saw him raise the gun and then we ran. I ran through the kitchen for my life.”
One of the surviving gunshot victims was an employee while the other was a patron, the Attorney General added. The employee remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition while the other victim’s status remains unknown.
Alongside the three gunshot victims, other people at the club at the time of the shooting suffered injuries including a broken hand, lacerations and blunt force trauma, Nashua Fire Rescue said.
Mr Formella said investigators were still working to determine a motive for the shooting. He confirmed that there was no known connection between Nadeau and Mr DeCesare.
