The suspect in Saturday's fatal shooting at a country club in Nashua, New Hampshire, waived his arraignment on Monday during his first court appearance and is being held without bail on a second-degree murder charge, according to officials.
Hunter Nadeau, 23, is alleged to have entered the Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua and fired several gunshots, fatally shooting one person, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office. Two other people, including an employee of the country club, were injured, authorities said.
The victim who was fatally shot was identified as Robert Steven DeCesare, 59. There was "no known connection" between the suspect and the victim, officials said, as members of the DeCesare family grieved for him.
"You'd be hard pressed to find a man more loved, not only by his family but by his many groups of friends from golf, poker and pickleball," Charlene DeCesare, his wife of 27 years, said in a statement to ABC News.
She added, "I cannot say enough how grateful I am for the outpouring of support from our friends and community. The stellar kindness and professionalism from everyone I have interacted with at Nashua PD and the AG has also been so appreciated."
Charlene asked the public to stay away from reporting about the shooter's possible motive. New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said that the gunman allegedly said several statements during the shooting to "create chaos."
"I'd also caution everyone to beware the speculation and utter nonsense that is being posted about what happened and why. It's only making it harder for everyone involved, including the police who are trying to do their job," Charlene said.
Robert's mother, Evie O'Rourke, told ABC News affiliate WCVB that her son put himself between the gunman and his family, losing his life to protect them.
"He did what I'm sure was his instinct to do. Like I said, he was facing the shooter, not trying to get away, and that's what his wife said," O'Rourke said. "I'm still in shock seeing the shooting, but I know he did this: His thought was to take care of his family."
Robert was preparing for his daughter's wedding in six weeks, O'Rourke added.
Formella said on Sunday that Nadeau is an employee of the country club who has worked there for about a year. He said investigators will continue to look into the suspect's experience with the country club.
During Monday's court hearing in Nashua Circuit Court, Nadeau waived his arraignment, and a judge scheduled a probable cause hearing for next month.
Following the hearing, Peter Hinckley, senior assistant attorney general, told reporters the second-degree murder charge filed against Nadeau is a no-bail charge.
Hinckley said he was limited in what he could publicly say about the case because the court has sealed a probable cause affidavit filed in the case.
Hinckley said more charges are expected to be filed against Nadeau once the case is taken to a grand jury within 90 days.
Two shooting victims remained hospitalized on Monday, one in stable condition and the other in serious condition, Hinckley said. Four additional people were injured in the incident, but not by gunfire, according to the Nashua Police Department.
"Motive or motives are still under investigation," Hinckley said.
The country club contains a golf course, a wedding venue and a restaurant. Authorities did not specify the exact location of the shooting. Initially, Nashua police said two armed suspects fled the scene of the shooting and that one was at large, but they later said surveillance video confirmed there was only one shooter.
Rob Parsons, owner of Sky Meadow Country Club, read a prepared statement, saying in part, "This was the heinous act of a coward, who will be held accountable for what he did."
"To the DeCesare family, there are no words to express the pain and sorrow you and our community are feeling over Robert's murder," Parson said. "He is a hero."
ABC News' Jack Moore contributed to this report.