The grieving community of New Hampshire continues to seek answers following the tragic shootout in a state-run psychiatric hospital in Concord. The violence left security officer Bradley Haas, and the accused, John Madore, dead. The motive behind the shooting remains unknown as reported by NBC Boston.
Aged 63, Bradley Haas was a Department of Safety security officer stationed at the hospital lobby. He was a former chief of the Franklin Police Department with 28 years of service, and had served as a military police officer in the U.S. Army. New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu praised Haas stating, "He will be remembered for his heroism and decades of public service", as per NBC Boston.
A profile of Madore, revealed by WCVB, shows a history of mental health struggles. He had been a hospital patient in 2016, was involved in an assault case, and worked briefly at Riverbend Community Mental Health as a peer support specialist in 2019. The outcome of his assault charges, dropped eventually, remains unknown after a sealed competency evaluation in 2017.
The motive behind Madore's actions continues to be a mystery to investigators. State police Col. Mark Hall stated that these aspects are under investigation, and cited his version as, "Those are things we're going to find out during the investigation" in an NBC Boston interview. Any possible connection between Madore and the hospital or his relation to Haas, remains unclear.
The autopsies, conducted on both offenders on November 18, 2023, discovered the cause of death to be multiple gunshots for both. The deaths have been classified as a homicide as noted by NBC Boston.
Following the tragedy, New Hampshire Hospital, still serving patients, temporarily shut doors to visitors. To assist families seeking information about their loved ones, a call center has been set up. Commissioner Lori Weaver of the state Department of Health and Human Services referred to it as "a difficult and unimaginable day for our employees and for our community" as per NBC Boston.
As the citizens grapple to find answers, the investigation continues to seek the root cause of this tragic event.
