At Least 2 People Wounded After Shooting Takes Place During a Wedding at New Hampshire Church

Georgia Slater

A gunman opened fire during a church wedding in New Hampshire on Saturday, leaving at least two people injured, police say.

Authorities received a call about the active shooter at 10:12 a.m. and arrived at the New England Pentecostal Church in Pelham within three minutes, Pelham Police Chief Joseph Roark confirmed to PEOPLE in a statement.

“A wedding was occurring at the church during the time of the call. Initial officers arrived on scene within 3 minutes and discovered two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds within the church,” the statement read.

“Additionally the suspected shooter was being subdued by guests of the wedding. Responding officers placed the suspect under arrest and rendered medical aid to the wounded individuals. The two individuals were then transported to area hospitals by Pelham Fire Department ambulances,” the statement added.

When police arrived at the scene, guests at the wedding had already “gang-tackled” the suspected shooter, who was then arrested by the police, NBC reports.

The two victims’ conditions are not yet known, according to CNN. No deaths have been reported related to the incident.

One patient had been admitted to Lowell General Hospital in Massachusetts, hospital spokesperson Angela Strunk told CNN. No additional patients are expected to arrive, she added.

“This does not seem to be a random event,” Roark said at a briefing.

WMUR9
WMUR9

Following the wedding was supposed to be a memorial service for a late church minister, attendee Geraldo Pagan told press outside of the church.

Luis Garcia, a minister at the New England Pentecostal Church, was shot and killed inside a home in Londonderry on Oct. 1, according to WMUR. A suspect in the case was arrested.

“We just came and we found all this police, all this chaos here, and they tell us that the activity will be canceled,” Pagan said, CNN reported.

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U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire wrote on Twitter that she was “deeply disturbed” to learn about the shooting.

“Today was supposed to serve as a celebration of the life of Minister Luis Garcia. This senseless violence can’t continue — my prayers are with the victims of this terrible attack,” she added.

The State Police Major Crimes Unit and New Hampshire Attorney General’s office will be taking over the investigation, according to Roark.