A gunman opened fire in a New Hampshire country club on Saturday, killing one person, with one witness saying that the shooter yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack.
The person who died at the Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua was a man, according to New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella and Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke.
Authorities said the suspect, who was detained at the scene, was also an adult male, and earlier reports of two shooters were mistaken. Police said there was no further danger to the public.
Tom Bartelson, who was at the country club, described a chaotic scene that unfolded near his nephew’s wedding there. He said he heard the shooter say “The children are safe” and “Free Palestine,” and appeared to be targeting someone.
Investigators were still working to determine a motive, New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Peter Hinckley said at a news conference in response to a question about the two alleged remarks. He also said it’s too soon to say whether the shooting was targeted.
“We’re dealing with the facts and the information that we gather, and once we get that facts and information, and have an actual motive that we can share, we’ll certainly do that,” he said.
The United States has seen a string of violent attacks this year by suspects who allegedly conveyed pro-Palestinian or antisemitic slogans. The attack also comes less than two weeks after the assassination of US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, and less than a month after a shooting at a Catholic school in Minnesota.
The regional branch of the Anti-Defamation League said in a statement that it was in touch with law enforcement and looking into the shooting.
“We are aware of reports of a shooting in Nashua, NH and that the police have a suspect in custody,” ADL New England posted on X Saturday night local time. “We are in contact with members of law enforcement and ADL’s Center on Extremism is tracking.”
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.”
Information on the wounded victims’ conditions was not immediately available.
Bartelson said some people dropped to the ground and attempted to get away from the scene as the shooting unfolded. There was a lot of panic, he said.
“Getting together for a dance for the bride and groom, and then all chaos went off,” he said. “We heard about six shots and everybody ducked for cover, and next thing you know, we’re rushed into safe spots and things like that.”
“We were trying to keep family members safe,” he continued. “Keep everybody down and try to find safe spots.”
Another person who was at the scene, Evie O’Rourke, said she was still trying to find her son Robert Decesare, of Nashua, in the aftermath of the shooting.
“We don’t know where he is. He went down. My daughter-in-law and granddaughter escaped… They saw my son go down, and they saw blood, and we can’t find him,” she said.
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.”
US 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.
Nashua is about 45 miles (70 kilometers) northwest of Boston, just across the Massachusetts border.