SUSPECT IDENTIFIED IN FATAL N.H. HOSPITAL SHOOTING

Officials investigate rifle, tactical vest, ammo found in U-haul outside

A man killed by a state police trooper after he shot a security guard to death at a New Hampshire psychiatric hospital has been identified, authorities said Saturday.

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said 33-year-old John Madore entered New Hampshire Hospital on Friday afternoon and killed Bradley Haas, a state Department of Safety security officer who was working at the front lobby entrance of the facility. There were several people in the lobby at the time of the shooting, he said.

Formella said Madore was most recently living in a hotel in the Seacoast region and also had lived in Concord. He was wielding a 9mm pistol and had additional ammunition on him when he shot Haas, who was unarmed.

John Madore

Police stand at the entrance to New Hampshire Hospital in Concord, N.H., on Friday after a fatal shooting.

Police also found an Ar-style rifle, a tactical vest and several ammunition magazines in a Uhaul truck in the hospital's parking lot and were investigating possible connections between the truck and Madore.

“The actions of the trooper and Bradley Haas saved a lot of lives,” Formella said.

The shooting happened around 3:30 p.m. at New Hampshire Hospital and was contained to the front lobby of the 185-bed facility,

State Police Col. Mark Hall said late Friday. He said CPR was performed on Haas, who later died at Concord Hospital.

Police are still trying to determine a possible motive.

“We have a lot of work to do to really figure out who this man was, why he might have done what he did, what led up to this incident,” said Formella, who said the Haas family has requested privacy.

Haas lived in Franklin, a small city 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.

The Franklin Police Department mourned the death of the former chief, saying he dedicated decades to the city and Police Department before retiring in 2008.

“He continued to dedicate his time to the NH community by serving as a security officer helping and protecting those at the NH State Hospital,” the police department said on their Facebook page. “The FPD will honor his memory by flying our flags at half staff and wearing mourning bands in our badges.”

Gov. Chris Sununu also credited first responders for helping the state avoid a larger tragedy.

“If not for the heroics and sacrifice of Bradley Haas, the bravery of the New Hampshire Hospital staff, the unflinching response of New Hampshire State Police, this tragedy could have been much, much worse,” Gov. Chris Sununu said Saturday.

Friday's shooting was the latest act of violence at a U.S. hospital, which have struggled to adapt to the growing threats.

MICHAEL DWYER AP