New Hampshire Hospital shooting: Suspect’s name released

Good morning. We’re here this morning to provide an update on the shooting incident that took place yesterday in the lobby of New Hampshire Hospital in Concord. I want to start by extending my heartfelt condolences to the family of our victim, Bradley Haass of Franklin New Hampshire. Uh Mr Haas was *** Department of Safety security officer. He was shot in the line of duty while working security at the hospital’s front lobby entrance around 3:30 p.m. Bradley Haas served for 28 years at the Franklin Police Department started as *** patrol officer and rose to the rank of Chief of police. He is also *** US army veteran served for three years in the United States army chief Haas was already *** hero when he walked into work yesterday. Given his service to our country, to our state and to his community, but he will now be remembered forever as *** man who died protecting patients, staff and visitors at New Hampshire Hospital. So we cannot say enough how grateful we are to him for his service and words cannot express the condolences that we would like to send to his family, friends and loved ones Um I also want to say *** word about the trooper who was on scene at New Hampshire Hospital yesterday. Uh We are going to follow our typical protocol and we will not be releasing the trooper’s name until we’ve conducted *** formal interview. But all indications are that the actions of this trooper saved *** lot of lives and that this trooper’s actions were heroic. So I just wanted to make sure we, we say that today about the trooper who was on scene at New Hampshire Hospital, investigators have worked hard through the night and we can now identify the shooter as John Midori. John Midori was 33 years old at the time of the shooting and he was most recently transient. So he had recently stayed at *** hotel in the sea coast area. We also know that he had spent some time living in the conquered metro area. Beyond that, we, we are still gathering facts and information and we will work to gather additional information about Mister Midori and why he did this and what led up to this tragic incident yesterday, the autopsies for the shooter and the victim are being conducted today by the office of the chief medical examiner and we will release the results of that autopsy or those autopsies as soon as we have them. I want to express my immense gratitude on behalf of the entire law enforcement community to all of our law enforcement partners. And first responders who assisted at the scene yesterday. Those include, of course the New Hampshire State Police, the Concord Police Department, the Concord Fire Department, the Merrimack County Sheriff’s office, state office complex Police and our federal partners including the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, tobacco and firearms and ice. At this point, there is still *** lot of investigative work to do. We are shifting now into *** homicide investigation and so we would ask anyone who has any information about Mr Midori or the incident yesterday to please call the State Police Major Crime Unit. The number is 603 MC UT IP S or 603 6288477. Um Again, I just want to express my heartfelt condolences to the family of Chief Bradley Haas. He is truly *** law enforcement hero and we will never forget what he did to protect our state and his community throughout his career and protect the staff and residents and employees at at New Hampshire Hospital yesterday, dying in the line of duty, um giving of himself to protect all of us with that. I’m gonna turn it over to Colonel Mark Hall for some additional updates. Good morning. My name is Colonel Mark Hall, director of the New Hampshire State Police first, on behalf of the men and women of the State police. I want to extend sincerest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones of Mr Haass as *** fellow Department of Safety employee. He was *** colleague and *** longtime law enforcement partner yesterday, November 16th at approximately 340 pm. State police communications received reports of shots fired in an active shooter in the lobby of New Hampshire Hospital at 36 Clinton Street in Concord, *** state trooper who was assigned to the hospital and already on campus responded immediately and the trooper shot and killed the suspect additional troopers from the state police including our SWAT team responded to sweep this and secure the facility in the surrounding area outside members of the Concord Police department, the state office complex police, the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Department and the Concord Fire Department also responded. Our federal partners from the FBI *** F and Ice also responded and provided additional resources during the sweep. *** u-haul was discovered running in the parking lot. That vehicle initially appeared suspicious and the state police bomb squad was requested to inspect it after approach the U haul using *** robot. The state police bomb squad investigators determined the vehicle did not pose *** public public safety threat. However, located within the U haul were several items of concern including an ar style rifle, *** tactical vest and several magazines of ammunition. The investigation into the shooting including any determinations regarding the suspect’s motives remains ongoing. Investigators have determined that the weapon used by the suspect was *** nine millimeter pistol with additional ammunition. The state trooper who engaged the suspect was not hurt in pursuant to protocol. The name of the trooper is being withheld pending the conclusion of the formal investigation. Although I am not able to comment on the specifics of this investigation at this time, I am extremely proud of the trooper’s actions that without *** doubt prevented additional loss of life. The state police is thankful to all the agencies that have offered assistance throughout this incident and we continue to support our colleagues, family, fellow employees at the New Hampshire Hospital as they try to cope with this situation. Thank you and I’ll turn it over to Governor Sununu. Good morning. Thank you, Colonel uh Attorney General Melo. Um Obviously, we want to first start by honoring uh security officer Bradley Haass, as the attorney general mentioned, uh an absolutely dedicated public servant and state employee who gave his life, protecting patients and staff at New Hampshire Hospital prior to his service at New Hampshire Hospital. Uh he served his three years in the US Army as military police uh 28 years as an officer in his hometown of Franklin, New Hampshire. Uh rising to the level of the chief of police uh and ultimately as *** security officer um with uh state police. Yesterday’s shooting was *** tragedy and thanks to that rapid response and the mobilization of *** New Hampshire state trooper who was assigned to New Hampshire Hospital. The incident was contained swiftly within minutes. Law enforcement from multiple agencies were on scene and working to secure that entire campus. And I just want to thank these dedicated professionals for their swift response and their continued dedication and service in protecting granite staters make no mistake if not for the heroics and sacrifice of Bradley Haass, the bravery of the New Hampshire Hospital staff, the unflinching response of New Hampshire State Police. Um this tragedy, it could have been much, much worse. New Hampshire owes *** debt of gratitude to them all. I’m not gonna turn it over to Commissioner Weaver for more details. Thank you, Governor. Good morning. Our hospital experienced an unthinkable tragedy. Yesterday, an armed individual tried to enter our facility and *** beloved state employee lost his life, protecting our patients and staff. We mourn the loss of Bradley Hawes. *** security officer dedicated to New Hampshire Hospital’s mission of helping people. We extend our deepest sympathies to his loved ones. Our hearts are heavy with shock grief and sadness as we mourn and process what has occurred. We also want to express our deep gratitude through the big and small acts of heroism that transpired over the past day. This includes quick and decisive response by our New Hampshire State police colleagues, the Concord Police Department and all other local emergency responders. I’d also like to take *** moment to thank volunteers from the Department of Health and Human Services and Homeland Security Management who remained on campus to deliver meals to our staff and residents last night, your support of our patients at staff in New Hampshire Hospital has provided comfort and solace. It also includes all the people I am proud to call colleagues who are carrying on to keep the hospital running. Our New Hampshire hospital staff have not wavered for one moment. They have demonstrated courage and skill as the incident unfolded following the protocols for an emergency of this type, they have delivered skilled and compassionate care without interruption. This has been *** traumatic incident for the hospital. Our law enforcement, our first responder colleagues, our department and our wider community. We are providing numerous mental health resources to our teams as they try to process and heal from this difficult event. We have also set up *** call center for the patients, uh family and staff. The number is 60327130042713004. And I’d also want to remind the public that any person experience emotional distress can get help and resources by dialing 988, we will carry on. Most aspects of hospital operations are normal. However, this event has disrupted our visitation abilities and we are actively working to re-establish our visitor entrance. Patients are actively communicating with their families via telephone and we are hopeful that the visitation will resume soon as we know family members and patients are eager to visit with their loved ones as the investigation remains active. We kindly ask members of the media to respect the privacy of our staff at New Hampshire Hospital as they come to and from work. As I walked through the hospital last night, talking with staff, I was struck by how calm the environment was and how strong staff appear despite the horrific event that had occurred just hours earlier, I have no doubt that the New Hampshire Hospitals team’s steadfast commitment to their patients contributed to keeping those in our care safe, both during and after the event, we are reminded today of what an extraordinary team they are. Thank you. So again, I just want to express thanks to all of our law enforcement partners who as the governor said, responded swiftly and contained the situation yesterday. It could have been much worse with the situation contained. We are now shifting into the next phase which is *** homicide investigation. So we’re still gathering facts. We still have *** lot of investigative work to do. That means we’ll be limited in the information we can release, but we are going to take *** few questions. Yeah. How quickly did the trooper shoot the shooter after he shot his car? I don’t have that the exact time, but it was very, very quickly. Can you spell the last name, the suspect’s last name? M Ad Ore and John John. Yes. Yeah. You found there was weaponry found in the, in the van that the shooter van. We believe so. Yes, but we’re still gathering information and facts. So there’s, there’s *** lot, we can’t confirm. But yes. Do you have any other indications that he was trying to commit *** mass shooting, uh, based on the evidence and all the weapons that you found in the, that’s information I, I can’t get into at this time or release. And again, that’s mostly because we are still investigating, gathering facts, gathering information. So I don’t want to prejudge that. What information do you have that links the door to the vehicle? Again, I can’t get into specifics, but I can tell you, we’ve gathered *** lot of information over the last 1215 hours. We’ll be gathering more today and we’ll be in *** position I think to have better, *** more solid conclusion on that. But all I can tell you is that we’ve gathered information to tell us there may be *** connection. But beyond that, I can’t, I can’t comment because we’re still gathering facts. We’re still sifting through this. And so it’s important not to prejudge this and jump to conclusions before we’ve had *** chance to gather all of the facts, all the information and evaluate it. Do you know anything about the, the, the, that’s not information we, we can release right now, but information we’re continuing to gather as we conduct this investigation, do you know when and where the U haul was from? Again, that’s information I can’t, can’t get into. Now, we’re still we’re still gathering it, we’re still evaluating it. Um As we, as the investigation goes forward, we’ll develop more solid information on questions like that. Like I said, he was transient. So he’d spent certainly spent most of his time recently in New Hampshire had lived on the sea coast for *** time, had recently lived in the Concord metro area. But beyond that, we’re still looking to track that information down and I can’t get into those specifics again, that, that’s information I can’t, you know, can’t release at this time, we’re still again gathering it, evaluating it. And as we conduct the investigation was the, no, is there *** reason for that? It wouldn’t be typical for that position to be armed, working the security in the front lobby as *** former police chief, would it be difficult for him to be armed? Not as part of this, this role that he was that he was fulfilling at New Hampshire Hospital? No. Could you elaborate *** little more on that role? Exactly what were his duties? And at what time did he actually begin that role? Um, after being *** police chief? So he has been in that position since 2019. Um I, I can’t get into right now the specifics of exactly what that, what his role entailed, but he’d been in the position since 2019. And we’re still looking to gather, you know, like I said, the, the facts and circumstances about, um about what he was doing that day, the timeline that led up to this, all of the information surrounding the incident. Mari. Again, that’s information I can’t get into right now. We’re still, we’re still gathering that and we’re, we’re still evaluating that position at the time and he was also part of the security detail there, the two people who were part of that. So where, how close was he in terms of the lobby? Where was he positioned over? Well, he, he engaged right away. So he was, he was certainly um from *** physical space perspective right near the the incident, he had just begun his shift. Were there any um other people in the lobby or any witnesses to the shooting? There were several other people in the lobby, you know how many times uh Maori fired the nine millimeter. Uh I don’t, I’m not going to get into that type of specific information of you credited the trooper with saving many lives. One of the indications that Mr Midori was trying to do was try to get into the hospital, what would have happened if that trooper was not there? So as far as what he was trying to do in motive again, we, you know, we can’t get into that now because we’re still, we have *** lot of information facts to gather on that front. I do think it is safe to say that without the actions of Bradley Haas and without the actions of the trooper on scene, as we’ve said, this could have been *** lot worse. So, I, I, it is, I, I feel safe in saying that the actions of the trooper and Bradley Haass saved *** lot of lives yesterday. Could he have gotten into the hospital if they had not stopped him? It’s certainly possible. He did not get past the metal detectors. So he was engaged before that as far as you know, and, and the investigation is, uh, was he *** lone wolf? He act alone, we’re still in the early stages of the investigation. So those would be one of the questions we’re looking to, to determine. But again, we have *** lot of investigative work to do here. This just happened yesterday. Investigators have worked through the night and continue to work through the day in the days ahead. There’s *** lot of information and facts still to gather and evaluate and this happens in real time. So, you know, we can’t, we can’t prejudge anything. We can’t rule things in, we can’t rule things out. We need to gather the facts and conduct *** thorough investigation. The public would be concerned about right now in terms of, we don’t have any information that will lead us to believe that there’s any threat to the general public at this point stemming from this incident. I mean, law enforcement is always on alert and always prepared to address incidents like this. But yes, at *** moment where, where you have an event like this, we, we are cognizant of the fact that we need to be, we need to be on even higher alert for any type of copycat incident. But we don’t have any information that would lead us to believe anything like that is going to happen. But I think it’s important to, to make clear that law enforcement is always prepared to respond to an incident like this. In this case, this situation was tragic, but there was an armed law enforcement officer at the scene prepared to respond immediately. And as we’ve said, that response saved *** lot of lives. How many were inside the hospital? And the so there, there were several inside the lobby. I don’t have exact numbers on how many individuals were inside the hospital. What was Mr Haass able to do to help before he was shot, was able to alert others, try to stop Mr Midori. What, how did that play out? So I’m I’m not going to get into those specifics. We’re still, you know, reviewing video footage, still trying to determine exactly what happened. But I think it’s, it’s safe to say that the that the presence of *** security officer almost always will slow down any, any intruder even if it’s just because that person is present. So Mister Haas died protecting the patients and staff and visitors at New Hampshire Hospital. And there’s no question in my mind. That we were fortunate that he was, there were patients or visitors in the, in the lobby. There are several individuals I can’t get into whether they were patients or, or or visitors. We have still have *** lot of work to do to interview interview witnesses, whoever was present. And so, you know, I I can’t tell you at this point. Um Exactly who those individuals are. That that’s his role full time position, protecting the hospital. That is *** regular assignment for him. Yes, he is. There is, there is footage of the incident which we still have to review and, and, and, and look at and evaluate as part of the investigation. But yes, we do have video footage. So this is common practice. Can you explain uh the the assignment of troopers at hospitals? Is this across the state? Just kind of give us an idea of, you know, what this role is and how common or uncommon it is. So, II I can’t get into sort of how common it is, but it also New Hampshire Hospital is *** secure facility. So it was, it, this was *** um *** normal procedure to have *** trooper assigned there. That’s, that’s *** regular occurrence. Yeah. Are you commenting in *** shooting last night in Manchester? Uh I think um the president said it might be an accident also but the uh the person died on the hospital, the shooting last night in Manchester. Yes. So II I don’t have any information I can release on that beyond what we’ve already put out that that happened in the early hours of the morning. And that’s, that’s an active homicide investigation as well. So I, I cannot, uh, or it’s, I should say it’s an active suspicious death investigation. There’s been no autopsy completed. So there’s no additional information I can release on that at this time. Do you know how the weapon? is there any information about where they came from? That’s not information we can release at this time, but we’re going to continue to work together and evaluate that information. And for the hospital, did they alert staff when this happened? When did that go out? What was the communication there at all? So I, I can’t get into the exact time of communication to staff and employees, but I, but I can tell you that not only did law enforcement respond quickly, we were in immediate communication with health and human Services with the Department of Safety and there was, there were actions taken to keep people safe. And I think that is borne out in the fact that this situation was contained very quickly is the suspect known to police. Can you tell us anything more other than that? He was here in this area? I think that he’s 33 and, and moving around again, it’s, it’s just not information I can comment on because we, we’ve just identified him. So we we have *** lot of work to do to really figure out, um, who this man was, why he might have did what he did. What led up to this incident? Is there *** door where somebody would, would be needed to be buzzed in that he would have had to have gone through to get into the other patients, the main part of the form here. So I’m not going to get into the, the exact layout of the facility. I mean, it’s, it’s *** secure facility. So he obviously there was security present at the front lobby, there was *** trooper on site. So there, there, it’s *** secure facility. Yes, he would have had to get through *** metal detector. He would have had to get through um other obstacles to get into the facility, but he was engaged right away and stopped in the lobby. Um Are you collaborating with any police department in the New England area? We at present, we’re, we’re engaged with our state partners here. So state state police, um federal partners. So like I said, the FBI *** TF IC, the Concord Police Department has been assisting. The Merrimack County Sheriff’s Department has been assisting, whether we need to work with law enforcement partners in the region will depend on where this investigation takes us. So it’s so we certainly will if we need to and we have great relationships with our law enforcement partners throughout the region when he was in the previously he was in the area when or how long he been. So because he was transient, you know, we don’t have that exact timeline and, and that’s information we wouldn’t want to release right now anyway, because the nature given how early this is, given the fact that he was transient, we have *** lot of work to do to, to nail that down. How much information can you provide about his criminal history? Um And how did you identify him as the shooter? So I, I can’t get into that, you know, that I’m not going to get into those specifics of the investigative steps we took to do that or, or the information that we’ve gathered. All I can tell you is that we are confident in the identification that this is, this was John Midori. When you, when you are you saying was he known to police prior? Again, that’s information I can’t get into right now, Mr H he was, he still living in Franklin CC currently? Uh I believe so. Yes. Do you think about families, white Children, anything like that can get into his family has asked for privacy? So I really don’t want to lay out his family tree here. His family has asked for privacy and I really want to respect that again. I wanna, I wanna respect the privacy of the family. He does, he does have Children, but I don’t want to get into names and lay out the family tree in the, in the week after the shooting in Maine. Um, there was *** spike in homicides and shootings. Um, can you say something for the community that might be worried that something like that? Yeah. So I’ll say this New Hampshire is, I think the safest state in the country and we have one of the lowest homicide rates in the country. We have one of the highest solve rates for homicides in the country. So, um, certainly understand that in the wake of Lewiston in the wake of the shooting yesterday, there may be concern in the community. But I can tell you, we, we have the best law enforcement in the country. It’s *** very integrated law law enforcement. Every law enforcement officer goes to the same place. Police Academy, we work very closely with county attorneys, with all of our state and local law enforcement. We’re in communication with them regularly and this state is safe. It’s the safest state in the country again, one of the lowest homicide rates. So while I understand that there might be concern in the community, like I said earlier, we don’t have any reason to think that there’s *** threat to the general public stemming from this incident. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to let our guard down or be complacent. We’re going to investigate this thoroughly and we will do what we always do in the law enforcement community and that is be proactive and stay on alert to protect the state. Do you have any connection to the hospital? Again? I can’t, I can’t get into that. Is there *** reason to believe at this point that security needs to be stepped up at other hospitals in New Hampshire? So I’ll say New Hampshire Hospital is, is unique in that. It’s, it’s *** secure, it’s *** secure facility. Um, we don’t have any reason to think that there’s *** heightened level of threat at other hospitals in, in the state. Um, but as far as, um, again, any other information related to the incident remains under investigation, we still have investigative work to do. Was it *** full hospital? Can you give me um, consensus on? Um, I, I don’t have the exact census, so don’t have that information for you. Just an idea. And I don’t know if the commissioner can talk more about the hospital in the facility just following up on that question. Is it 100 and 85 bed hospital? How many entrances just can I get an idea of what the facility actually looks like and the vulnerabilities of the, of the building, so not to speak for the commissioner. But I, I don’t, we’re not going to get into information here to lay out, you know, *** blueprint or plans of the facility and vulnerabilities. What I can say is this, we’re going to take what we’ve learned. This is *** tragic incident. Right? One incident like this is too many and we’re all going to work very hard to think about whether there’s anything additional we need to do to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. But at this point it is, it is very early on in evaluating exactly what happened here. But I, I don’t want to, I don’t think we should be getting into, um, into *** layout of the facility. I don’t think that’s in the interest of public safety. All right. Thank you. All.

Investigators release identity of suspect in New Hampshire Hospital shooting

Rifle, tactical vest, ammunition found in truck in parking lot

Updated: 11:06 AM EST Nov 18, 2023

Investigators have identified a man suspected of shooting and killing a security officer Friday at New Hampshire Hospital.Attorney General John Formella said John Madore, 33, shot and killed Bradley Haas, 63, of Franklin, who previously served as chief of police in Franklin and was working as a security officer for the hospital.Formella said a New Hampshire state trooper quickly responded to the report of a shooting and shot and killed Madore. The trooper’s name has not been released as the investigation continues.”Without the actions of Bradley Haas and without the actions of the trooper on scene, this could have been a lot worse,” Formella said.>> Call center for families of New Hampshire Hospital patients: 603-271-3004Formella said Madore did not get past the metal detectors in the lobby of the hospital, which is a secure inpatient psychiatric facility.Police are also continuing to investigate a U-Haul truck that was found running in the parking lot after the shooting. State Police Col. Mark Hall said an AR-15-style weapon, a tactical vest and ammunition were found in the truck. >> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play << Hall said Madore used a 9 mm handgun to shoot Haas. Police are still investigating any links Madore might have had to the truck.Formella said Haas was not armed in his role as a security officer for the hospital. He said it would not be typical for a security guard in that role to be armed. Madore was described as a transient person who recently stayed in a hotel in the Seacoast area and also spent time in the Concord area. Formella said investigators are still looking into whether he had any ties to the hospital or to Haas.>> LISTEN: Dispatch audio from first moments of New Hampshire Hospital shooting No possible motive in the attack has been released.Investigators said autopsies are scheduled for Saturday, and the results will be released once they’re complete.No patients at the hospital were injured, Hall said. A call center — which can be reached by calling 603-271-3004 — has been established by the state Department of Health and Human Services for family members of patients at New Hampshire Hospital. The call center will remain open until further notice, officials said.>> Video: Workers, residents shaken by shooting at New Hampshire HospitalPolice received calls about an active shooter at about 3:40 p.m. A state trooper working in the hospital at the time reported that shots were fired in the lobby.A police academy graduation happened nearby as officers rushed to the scene.”There was a very quick response other than the trooper being on scene when the incident happened. Additional troopers are here within minutes,” Hall said.Several employees of the hospital heard the shots and locked themselves in closets, sources told News 9.>> Hear reaction from people near the scene:A worker who was inside the hospital who did not want to be identified told News 9 that they were leaving for the day and were in the lobby when police in tactical gear told them to get back. The worker ran back to their office and hid under their desk.As hospital workers were led from the building, some could be seen crying and hugging each other.>> Related: What to know about New Hampshire Hospital, its campus “Valerie and I extend our sincere condolences to the family of Department of Safety Security Officer Bradley Haas of Franklin, NH, who gave his life today protecting the patients and staff at New Hampshire Hospital. He will be remembered for his heroism and decades of public service,” Gov. Chris Sununu said.>> Full video: News conference on New Hampshire Hospital shooting New Hampshire Hospital is a secure, inpatient psychiatric hospital, and all visitors must go through metal detectors. A police officer is always on duty. There are 184 staffed psychiatric beds in the facility.The hospital is on a 120-acre campus that’s home to many large state agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Public Utility Commission and others.Officials will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Saturday with updates regarding the shooting investigation.

Investigators have identified a man suspected of shooting and killing a security officer Friday at New Hampshire Hospital.

Attorney General John Formella said John Madore, 33, shot and killed Bradley Haas, 63, of Franklin, who previously served as chief of police in Franklin and was working as a security officer for the hospital.

Formella said a New Hampshire state trooper quickly responded to the report of a shooting and shot and killed Madore. The trooper’s name has not been released as the investigation continues.

“Without the actions of Bradley Haas and without the actions of the trooper on scene, this could have been a lot worse,” Formella said.

>> Call center for families of New Hampshire Hospital patients: 603-271-3004

Formella said Madore did not get past the metal detectors in the lobby of the hospital, which is a secure inpatient psychiatric facility.

Police are also continuing to investigate a U-Haul truck that was found running in the parking lot after the shooting. State Police Col. Mark Hall said an AR-15-style weapon, a tactical vest and ammunition were found in the truck.

>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<

Hall said Madore used a 9 mm handgun to shoot Haas. Police are still investigating any links Madore might have had to the truck.

Formella said Haas was not armed in his role as a security officer for the hospital. He said it would not be typical for a security guard in that role to be armed.

Madore was described as a transient person who recently stayed in a hotel in the Seacoast area and also spent time in the Concord area. Formella said investigators are still looking into whether he had any ties to the hospital or to Haas.

>> LISTEN: Dispatch audio from first moments of New Hampshire Hospital shooting

No possible motive in the attack has been released.

Investigators said autopsies are scheduled for Saturday, and the results will be released once they’re complete.

No patients at the hospital were injured, Hall said. A call center — which can be reached by calling 603-271-3004 — has been established by the state Department of Health and Human Services for family members of patients at New Hampshire Hospital. The call center will remain open until further notice, officials said.

>> Video: Workers, residents shaken by shooting at New Hampshire Hospital

Police received calls about an active shooter at about 3:40 p.m. A state trooper working in the hospital at the time reported that shots were fired in the lobby.

A police academy graduation happened nearby as officers rushed to the scene.

“There was a very quick response other than the trooper being on scene when the incident happened. Additional troopers are here within minutes,” Hall said.

Several employees of the hospital heard the shots and locked themselves in closets, sources told News 9.

>> Hear reaction from people near the scene:

A worker who was inside the hospital who did not want to be identified told News 9 that they were leaving for the day and were in the lobby when police in tactical gear told them to get back. The worker ran back to their office and hid under their desk.

As hospital workers were led from the building, some could be seen crying and hugging each other.

>> Related: What to know about New Hampshire Hospital, its campus

“Valerie and I extend our sincere condolences to the family of Department of Safety Security Officer Bradley Haas of Franklin, NH, who gave his life today protecting the patients and staff at New Hampshire Hospital. He will be remembered for his heroism and decades of public service,” Gov. Chris Sununu said.

>> Full video: News conference on New Hampshire Hospital shooting

New Hampshire Hospital is a secure, inpatient psychiatric hospital, and all visitors must go through metal detectors. A police officer is always on duty. There are 184 staffed psychiatric beds in the facility.

The hospital is on a 120-acre campus that’s home to many large state agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Education, the Public Utility Commission and others.

Officials will hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Saturday with updates regarding the shooting investigation.