Unauthorized Gun Possession: Shooter at NH Psych Hospital

The former psychiatric patient at a New Hampshire hospital, John Madore, who fatally shot a security guard, was prohibited from owning guns, ammunition, and other dangerous weapons following an arrest almost eight years ago. In 2016, Madore was involved in a standoff with authorities at a home, where he had a loaded pistol and assault rifle after becoming upset over his family’s decision to euthanize their dog. He was arrested for assault and reckless conduct, but the charges were later dropped, and he was involuntarily admitted to the hospital due to concerns about his potential danger to himself and others. Last week, Madore entered the same hospital and fatally shot a security officer before being killed by a state trooper. Police found additional ammunition, a tactical vest, and an AR-style rifle in a U-Haul truck rented by Madore in the hospital’s parking lot. The weapons used in the shooting were not the same ones confiscated by authorities in 2016, and it is unclear how Madore obtained them. If he had tried to purchase them, he would have been required to disclose his hospitalization at a mental health institution when completing a federal firearms application.