Suspect identified in deadly New Hampshire psychiatric hospital shooting
Authorities have identified the suspected gunman in a Friday shooting at a New Hampshire hospital that left two dead, including the shooter.
The New Hampshire attorney general said in a press conference Saturday that John Madore, 33, fatally shot a security guard in the lobby of the state's psychiatric hospital. After Madore shot the security guard, he was shot and killed by a state trooper, authorities said.
Madore was "most recently transient," State Attorney General John Formella said. He stayed at some point in a hotel in the state's Sea Coast region, roughly 45 miles east of Concord, New Hampshire, where the shooting happened. He also recently lived in the Concord area.
New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management confirmed on social media at 4:40 p.m. on Friday that the suspected gunman had died. The agency said the State Emergency Operations Center was activated at an "enhanced monitoring level."
State officials on Saturday said the bravery of the slain guard, Bradley Haas, prevented further loss of life Friday.
"Our hospital experienced an unthinkable tragedy yesterday," said New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver on Saturday. "An armed individual tried to enter our facility and a beloved state employee lost his life protecting our patients and staff."
Haas, 63, was a state Department of Safety security officer who was working at the front lobby entrance of New Hampshire Hospital in Concord. Haas lived in Franklin, a small town about 20 miles from Concord. He worked as a police officer for 28 years and rose to become police chief, according to the state attorney general’s office. He also served three years in the U.S. Army as a military police officer, authorities said.
On Friday, a state police bomb squad inspected U-Haul truck that was left running in the hospital parking lot at the time of the shooting, state police said Saturday. Inside, investigators found an "AR-style" rifle, a tactical vest a several magazines of ammunition, New Hampshire State Police Col. Mark Hall said Saturday.
Officials did not release details about a possible motive for Madore, who used a 9mm pistol in the shooting.
Hall said the police officer who shot the suspect was assigned to the hospital.
“There is no threat to the public, and there is no threat to the patients or staff at the hospital,” Hall said, noting that the investigation on site was expected to last for a while longer.
State police dispatch received a call of an active shooter at the hospital at 3:38 p.m. Friday, Hall said. The suspect walked into the lobby and shot one person. A state trooper immediately responded, and he fatally shot the suspect. The security guard he shot was administered CPR and taken to Concord Hospital before he was pronounced dead.
Gov. Chris Sununu said at the time that officials jumped into action: "The state immediately mobilized, and first responders and law enforcement are on the scene."
Authorities said by around 5:30 p.m. on Friday all patients were safe.
"I’m horrified by reports of a shooting at NH Hospital in Concord. My heart goes out to all those impacted by this senseless violence. I’m closely monitoring the situation," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said.
The only state-run psychiatric hospital for adults in New Hampshire, the facility has roughly 185 beds and is located in the capital city of Concord, near Concord High School, multiple state agencies and a district courthouse.
Rising assaults at U.S. hospitals
The deadly assault Friday was the latest act of violence amid a rising trend of such incidents at hospitals across the United States.
Last June, USA TODAY tracked at least six deadly assaults in medical buildings across Texas, California, New Jersey, Minnesota and elsewhere over three years.
Shooting attacks in health settings are usually purposeful and targeted, unlike other types of mass shootings where the attacker doesn't personally know the victims, research shows. The gunman at the Tulsa, Oklahoma medical center that left four people dead targeted an orthopedic surgeon who operated on his back, and blamed him for persistent back pain, authorities said.
'Frightening trend': Deadly assaults on US medical workers on the rise
Researchers have found that the risk of assaults is higher for healthcare workers than for people in other workplaces, and their risk of becoming gun violence victims is rising.
Overall, the Gun Violence Archive has tracked more than 37,800 gun deaths so far this year, and 604 mass shootings.
Contributing: Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suspect identified in Concord, New Hampshire state hospital shooting
