A suspect is in custody after opening fire near a New Hampshire church.
Pelham Police responded to reports of a shooting near New England Pentecostal Church, about 30 minutes outside of Boston, just after 10 a.m. on Saturday. Upon arrival, they arrested the shooter. According to police, the scene is no longer an active shooter situation.
A nearby hospital has received one patient from the incident, but their condition is unknown. A representative for Lowell General Hospital told CNN it is not expecting any other patients from the shooting. While he could not discuss the exact number of injuries, Pelham Police Chief Joseph Roark told the network two people suffered gunshot wounds and were taken to hospitals but did not know the extent of their injuries.
Local media has reported no confirmed fatalities but indicated that a third person suffered unspecified injuries. A wedding was underway at the time of the shooting, and guests helped tackle and subdue the shooter.
“This does not seem to be a random event at this point,” Roark said, adding that the shooter arrived at the scene after the nuptials began.
Video from Pelham, NH scene. A number of ambulances, state, and local police pic.twitter.com/uyQ2cOeoT0
— Korey O’Brien (@koreyobrienTV) October 12, 2019
It is unclear what prompted the incident. In addition to the wedding, a “men and women meeting” for Domestic Abuse Month was scheduled for 9:30 a.m., according to the church’s website. “Celebration of life” services for former ordained minister Luis Garcia were also scheduled for noon. One churchgoer who planned on attending the services reportedly got a call from his aunt saying, “Don’t come to the church; the Bishop has been shot.”
A man who was coming to the church for a celebration of life scheduled for 12pm says he got a call from his aunt saying “don’t come to the church, the Bishop has been shot” #WCVB pic.twitter.com/6ZeXqcUMER
— Matt Reed (@MattReedNews) October 12, 2019
According to the Daily Beast, the State Police Major Crime Unit is also helping with the investigation. No other details, though, were provided. Police have not yet released the identity of the gunman or indicated a possible motive.
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu tweeted out his support for the responding law enforcement officers.
State officials are on scene assisting local first responders in the response and investigation of a shooting in Pelham, NH. While this remains a very active scene, the State of New Hampshire will provide all necessary resources to support the community and our local partners.
— Chris Sununu (@GovChrisSununu) October 12, 2019
This is a developing story and will be updated as details become available.
