A shooting at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Saturday night resulted in multiple injuries. Nashua Police are actively investigating the incident, confirming that two suspects fled the scene following the gunfire. While one suspect has been apprehended, the search continues for the second individual, prompting officials to advise public caution.
Wedding guests were gathering on the dance floor at a New Hampshire country club Saturday evening when the DJ warned the room to expect some loud noises from a dish-breaking tradition popular at Greek weddings.
But the anticipated sounds of celebration and shattering plates were interrupted by popping noises in the next room, witnesses said.
“It sounded like balloons, because, you know, we’re at a festivity … but then you look around and we didn’t have balloons,” wedding guest Tom Bartelson told CNN affiliate WHDH.
The guests quickly realized the noise was gunshots being fired by a man in the club’s restaurant and began to scatter for safety. Some went out the door or into the kitchen, others took cover under tables, witnesses said.
59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare was killed and two other adults were injured in the shooting at the Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, state Attorney General John M. Formella said in a statement early Sunday.
Officials said Saturday night people also suffered non-gunshot-related injuries in the chaos, but didn’t specify how many.
Hunter Nadeau, 23, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in DeCesare’s death, according to Formella’s statement, which said there was no known connection between the two men.
“Additional charges likely will be brought, including for the additional shooting victims,” the statement said.
Nadeau will be arraigned Monday, the attorney general said.
Authorities initially believed there were two suspects but revised their statement after reviewing surveillance footage showing a lone shooter, they said Saturday.
The shooting marks another instance of gun violence erupting at a place in the US not usually prone to danger. “It’s the lottery you don’t want to win in America,” wedding DJ Michael Homewood told WHDH.
Amid the chaos of the shooting, a man walked through the banquet hall, stalking across the dance floor in a daze with a bloody wound, Homewood said.
“I knew it was the guy because he wasn’t dressed up for a wedding, he wasn’t dressed up to go to dinner,” Homewood told WHDH. “For lack of a better explanation, he just looked like a weirdo.”
Sophie Flabouris, a guest at the wedding, said a man had hit the shooter over the head with a chair, forcing him to drop his gun. The shooter then fled, she told WHDH. “He went through the reception area into the kitchen, he had blood on him,” she said.
Flabouris hid under a table when she heard the gunshots, telling WHDH that it was a “fight or flight” moment.
“To experience for the first time … you read about it on the news, you hear about it … we practice this in school,” she said. “But when it actually happens, it’s like fight or flight.”
Tom Bartelson, who was also at the wedding, told WHDH he heard the gunman yell “the children are safe” and “free Palestine.”
When asked about the gunman’s alleged words, Hinckley said, “We’re dealing with the facts and information that we gather … and once we have an actual motive that we can share, we’ll certainly do that.”
Nashua Mayor Jim Donchess called the incident a “tragedy,” emphasizing that one loss of life is still too many.
He expressed shock and surprise at such a shooting happening in his town. “No matter how unlikely it seems, it can happen where you are,” Donchess told reporters Saturday night, vowing to “bring appropriate justice” to those responsible.
Nashua is about 45 minutes from Boston on the Massachusetts border.
The New Hampshire State Police is assisting with the shooting investigation, it said on X.
New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen and Rep. Maggie Goodlander said they are monitoring the incident.
“Billy and I are praying for those injured,” Shaheen wrote. “There is no place in our state for this type of senseless violence.”
“My heart is with the victims, their families, and the entire Nashua community as we await more information,” Goodlander said.
Sen. Maggie Hassan said her “heart goes out to the families of those impacted,” and she is “grateful for the work of the law enforcement officers and first responders at the scene.”
First Responders’ Frenzy – Mass Casualty Protocols Activated
Within minutes, fire crews and ambulances converged on the property, joined by mutual aid units from Merrimack and Hudson. Paramedics established a triage point at the entrance, sorting victims by injury severity. According to emergency radio chatter reviewed by local outlets, helicopters were placed on standby at Southern New Hampshire Regional Medical Center.
The Nashua Department is currently investigating an incident at Sky Meadow Country Club involving multiple gunshot victims. There are two armed suspects that have fled the area. 1 suspect has been detained and the other suspect is still at large. Anyone with information is…
— Nashua Police (@NashuaPolice) September 21, 2025
Meanwhile, several individuals with non-life-threatening injuries arrived unannounced at Nashua Engine 3’s firehouse on West Hollis Street, adding to the strain on responders. “These folks just showed up, bloodied but mobile—it shows how fast the situation escalated,” said an NFD veteran who was not authorised to speak publicly. Hospitals in Nashua and Manchester later confirmed receiving patients, but declined to release numbers, citing privacy protocols.
How Affluence Meets Violence
The shooting rattled this city of 90,000, where Sky Meadow, established in 1987, has been synonymous with upscale weddings, charity galas, and corporate retreats. Neighbours described hearing sharp bursts of gunfire before emergency vehicles swarmed the usually quiet Mountain Laurels Drive. “We thought it was fireworks until we saw the sirens,” said a resident of nearby Valley View Lane.
By early Sunday morning, the Nashua Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit had cordoned off the 200-acre property to collect shell casings and review security camera footage. A department spokesperson confirmed that “police activity” was ongoing but withheld details on suspects or possible motives.
The country club has since shuttered its operations indefinitely, while speculation circulates over whether the shooting stemmed from a targeted altercation at the private event.
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