By Lauren Mascarenhas, Chris Boyette

(CNN) — Sky Meadow Country Club, nestled against sprawling greenery at the highest peak of Nashua, New Hampshire, boasts a beautiful backdrop for recreation and special occasions – a golf course, ballroom, fine-dining restaurant, patio, bar and more.

That beautiful backdrop turned into a bloody scene Saturday night, when a former employee – just weeks after promising a court he would stay out of trouble in exchange for having an assault charge dropped – allegedly opened fire in the club, killing one and wounding two others.

On Saturday night, the club was bustling. Diners chattered away and ate at the restaurant while wedding guests gathered on the dance floor. The wedding DJ announced that guests might hear some loud noises from a dish-breaking tradition popular at Greek weddings.

But instead of shattering plates, gunshots cut through the music and the celebration devolved into chaos — the latest instance of gun violence erupting at a seemingly safe place in the US.

“We heard about six shots and everybody ducked for cover,” Tom Bartelson, who was at the wedding, told The Associated Press.

Hunter Nadeau, 23, the former club employee, is charged with second-degree murder. At a hearing Monday, he waived formal arraignment and will remain incarcerated as his case continues.

Nadeau’s previous assault charge stemmed from a February incident in which he allegedly shoved a grocery store manager to the ground in the checkout area, according to court documents. He pleaded not guilty, and the charge was dropped on the condition he would stay out of trouble for a year and avoid the store and its manager, the documents show.

CNN has attempted to reach legal representation for Nadeau, a Nashua resident, as well as the judge and district attorney involved in the April assault case.

Authorities are praising the quick and selfless actions of club patrons in the moments after the shooting began this weekend. In addition to those who were shot, four other patrons were injured, and officials say the tragedy could have been much worse if not for the bravery of those who intervened.

The first shots came in the club’s hallway, where a man acting as a host for the wedding was shot, Nashua Police Chief Kevin Rourke said Sunday. The gunman, who was armed with a handgun, then moved into PRIME, the club’s steakhouse, Rourke said.

He was reportedly shouting multiple messages, which authorities believe were designed to create chaos and confusion in the moment.

Some guests ran, while others tried to hide.

Robert Steven DeCesare, 59, was at Sky Meadow having dinner with his wife and daughter when the gunman arrived, his mother, Evie O’Rourke, told CNN.

O’Rourke said her son died saving his family.

She said her daughter-in-law, Charlene, told her that DeCesare lunged at the gunman in an attempt to stop him when he was killed.

Sophie Flabouris, a guest at the wedding, said a man hit the shooter over the head with a chair, forcing him to drop his gun.

The shooter then fled, she told CNN affiliate WHDH. “He went through the reception area into the kitchen; he had blood on him,” she said. Wedding DJ Michael Homewood told WHDH he had seen a man with a bloody wound stalking across the dance floor in a daze.

Whoever hit the man over the head “probably saved a bunch of lives just doing that,” Homewood told WCVB.

Responding law enforcement officials found Nadeau in a nearby neighborhood and he made no attempt to flee, Rourke said.

The attack lasted for less than a minute, authorities said, and they found Nadeau within 30 minutes of the shooting.

State Attorney General John M. Formella on Sunday commended the courage of patrons who intervened. “(They kept) this a much more contained event than it may otherwise have been,” he said.

Rob Parsons, the club owner, expressed gratitude to the patrons and employees who helped prevent further tragedy.

“I, along with everyone within the Sky Meadow Country Club community, am heartbroken over the tragic event that unfolded last night. This was the heinous act of a coward who will be held to account for what he did,” Parsons wrote in a statement.

“To the DeCesare family, there are no words to express the pain and sorrow you — and our community — are feeling over Robert’s murder. He is a hero,” Parsons added. “To our very own employee and our guest who were shot and are recovering, and to the countless others impacted, we’re here for you and your families. Always.”

For DeCesare’s family, that minute — when a man walked into a restaurant with a handgun and decided to open fire — shattered them.

“Our lives are forever changed in one moment that would be senseless except for the belief that Rob was trying to protect me and my daughter, and maybe others there too. In our hearts, he’s a hero,” DeCesare’s widow told The Associated Press.

DeCesare’s daughter is set to be married in November, his mother told CNN, and her father won’t get the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle.

“It can happen to anybody. Any minute, it’s a precious life,” O’Rourke said.

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