A wedding reception turned deadly Saturday night when a shooting broke out at the Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, New Hampshire. Tragically, one of the riders died and two others sustained significant injuries. Police have arrested 23-year-old Hunter Nadeau, naming him the lone gunman in the shooting. This event took place about 45 miles northwest of Boston, just over the Massachusetts border.
The victim, 59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare, died from his injuries soon after the shooting. Eyewitness accounts showed that panic quickly set in as attendees fled the sound of gunfire. Witness Tom Bartelson, whose nephew was to be married the next day, remembered hearing up to six shots ring out before all were forced to hit the ground.
We were just trying to keep family members safe,’ Bartelson said, describing the chaos that ensued at the celebration.
An attack on civil rights Tim Nadeau (a.k.a. Authorities first believed there may have been two shooters, but later confirmed that only Nadeau remained at large. He was recently charged with second-degree murder. Tentatively, he is scheduled for arraignment in state court in Nashua on Monday.
Witness Emily Ernst described a harrowing experience, stating, “He had a mask on. We just saw him raise the gun and then we ran.” She continued to state how she “ran through the kitchen for my life” as the shooting was taking place.
Eyewitnesses described Nadeau as screaming statements like “the children are safe” and “free palestine” during the attack. That’s opened him up to questions about his motives, since no public link has been drawn between Nadeau and DeCesare.
“As guests attempted to flee the scene, Bartelson noted, “Keep everybody down and try to find safe spots,” highlighting the desperate measures taken to protect those present.”
The statuses of the two injured people are unknown. From his immediate family to his extended relatives and friends, everyone is worried about my son’s well-being.
Evie O’Rourke, Robert Steven DeCesare’s mother, is still racked with grief. She frantically looks for her son following the shooting but cannot locate him.