Man accused of shooting at New Hampshire country club indicted on first-degree murder, other charges

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CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A man accused of opening fire at a New Hampshire country club in September has been indicted on murder, attempted murder and assault charges, authorities said Thursday.

Hunter Nadeau, 24, of Nashua, is accused of killing one person and wounding two others at the Sky Meadow Country Club on Sept. 20 while a wedding reception was going on nearby. He originally was charged with second-degree murder, but indictments made public Thursday show he's been charged under alternate theories with both first-degree and second-degree murder, as well as attempted murder and assault.

Authorities have declined to discuss a possible motive for the shooting but said they don’t believe the victims were targeted by Nadeau, who previously worked at the Nashua club and was arrested shortly after the shooting. A message was left for his attorney Thursday.

Police credited restaurant patrons with responding quickly during the chaos, and witnesses said one person struck the gunman with a stool to help subdue him. Charlene DeCesare, whose husband, Robert DeCesare Jr., was killed, said he was shot while protecting her and the couple’s daughter. The gunfire also wounded restaurant manager Steven Burtman and a patron, Brianna Surette.

According to court documents, Nadeau was charged in April with simple assault after being accused of shoving a manager at a grocery store to the floor. Both sides agreed in September to place the misdemeanor charge on file and dismiss it if Nadeau remained on good behavior.

Dave Manganello, a chef, said he knew Nadeau as a banquet server at the club several years ago. In a September interview, he described Nadeau as borderline arrogant but said he didn’t think he was capable of violent crime.

“He wasn’t like sweet as pie or the nicest guy you ever met,” Manganello said.

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Whittle reported from Scarborough, Maine.