A security guard working at a New Hampshire psychiatric hospital was fatally shot Friday and a suspect was shot dead by a state police trooper assigned to the facility, authorities say.
The incident happened at the New Hampshire Hospital in Concord Friday afternoon, the New Hampshire State Police said. All patients at the hospital were safe, said state police director Col. Mark Hall.
Bradley Haas, 63, was shot while working in the front lobby entrance of the facility around 3:30 p.m., the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said in a news release. Haas, a former police chief in the small nearby city of Franklin, was working as a New Hampshire Department of Safety security officer.
Authorities did not release any information about the suspect, citing an active investigation into the incident.
After the shooting, authorities investigated a suspicious vehicle in the hospital’s parking lot, which was later cleared and found to be safe. Law enforcement officials used a tactical robot to inspect a U-Haul, videos from CNN affiliates show.
Officials plan to release more information on the shooting Saturday morning.
The hospital is a psychiatric facility that helps treat those with “acute mental illness,” according to its website.
The head of New Hampshire’s Department of Health and Human Services said Friday evening she was “shocked and saddened” by the shooting.
“Our hearts go out to the family of the victim as well as our colleagues who have been impacted,” Commissioner Lori Weaver said at a news conference.
Weaver said the hospital will be temporarily closed to visitors but support would be provided to patients and staff “as we work through this tragedy together.”
“This is a difficult and unimaginable day for our employees and for our community,” the commissioner added.
Gov. Chris Sununu said in a statement on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, the state “immediately mobilized, and first responders and law enforcement are on the scene.”
“This afternoon, there was an incident at New Hampshire Hospital, which has been contained. While the scene remains active as the campus is cleared, the suspect is deceased,” Sununu said. “We will provide as many details as possible as this situation unfolds.”
CNN’s Polo Sandoval contributed to this report.