"An absolute hero": Vigil honors former police chief killed in New Hampshire Hospital shooting
CONCORD, NH - It has been just three days since a gunman opened fire at New Hampshire Hospital and shot and killed Bradley Haas, a beloved security guard.
On Monday, roughly 1,000 people, including Governor Chris Sununu, attended a vigil at a popular park in Concord. The hospital where the shooting happened was visible in the distance.
Haas, 63, was an Army veteran and the former police chief in Franklin. Police said Haas managed to keep the gunman in the security area, despite not having his own weapon.
"The facts speak for themselves, he is an absolute hero," said Governor Sununu.
A New Hampshire State Trooper assigned to the hospital was there moments after the first shots were fired and killed the gunman, 33-year-old John Madore.
"We celebrate what Brad gave, the sacrifice he gave and the number of people that he saved, but I think a lot of folks came out today to remember we have hundreds, thousands, of people out there every single day putting their lives on the line," Sununu said.
Haas was remembered by colleagues as dedicated, trusted, and respected.
"What I know of him, is he's a really good man. He was always seemed very approachable, professional," said Michelle Manning, whose wife works at the hospital and left moments before the shooting.
Madore was a patient at the psychiatric hospital in 2017. Madore was a defendant in an assault case in 2016 and was ordered held at the hospital for a competency hearing. It is unclear what motivated him to go to the hospital on Friday.
