Three people have been killed, including the suspect, and three others were hospitalized after a shooting at a Rhode Island hockey rink.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves identified the man who opened fire at a Pawtucket, Rhode Island youth hockey game as 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, who also went by Roberta Esposito and identified as transgender. Pawtucket's mayor later said that the two who were shot and killed by Dorgan were his son and his son's mother.
The youth hockey game in turned into a crime scene Monday after a domestic dispute erupted in gunfire, leaving three people dead, including Dorgan, and three others injured, according to the Associated Press. Dorgan was "dressed in women's clothing" at the time of the shooting.
The shooting happened at the Dennis M Lynch Arena in Pawtucket during a matchup between the Coventry-Johnston co-op team and Blackstone Valley Schools, which includes St. Raphael Academy, Providence Country Day School, and the public school districts of North Providence and North Smithfield, according to WPRI. Families were in the stands when shots rang out.
Dorgan was the father of a North Providence High School senior, and shot five members of the student’s family. The gunman’s ex-wife died at the hockey rink, while an adult sibling of the student died at the hospital. Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said that the three people injured are in critical condition. A source with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives told Fox News the incident was a domestic violence situation that escalated into a murder-suicide.
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A woman who spoke with reporters as she exited the Pawtucket Police Department claimed, "my father was the shooter." She added, "he shot my family, and he’s dead now." She said that he "has mental health issues" and was "very sick," saying that he had struggled with his mental health for some time.
Law enforcement quickly flooded the area. Witnesses described people running from the arena. An employee at a nearby Walgreens told local media that patrons rushed into the store in a panic, saying there was an active shooting.
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Coventry Public Schools Superintendent Don Cowart confirmed that all students from the Coventry Boys Hockey team were accounted for and safe. “District officials were notified of the situation while the team was at the arena and immediately began coordinating with event staff and law enforcement. An officer from the Coventry Police Department is on scene and remains with the students,” Cowart said.
The FBI said agents responded to the scene and stood ready to assist. “At this time, there is no imminent threat to public safety and there has been no request for FBI assistance,” the bureau wrote on X. “However, the public should continue to avoid the area. Our prayers are with everyone impacted by this incident.”
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FBI Director Kash Patel wrote that FBI Boston "is responding to the shooting this afternoon at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, RI - we will provide state and local law enforcement any and all resources necessary and keep the public updated as we are able. In the meantime please pray for the victims and their families."
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Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said he spoke with Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien and Rhode Island State Police as authorities worked the scene. In a later statement, McKee wrote, "Our state is grieving again. As Governor, a parent, and a former coach, my heart breaks for the victims, families, students, and everyone impacted by the devastating shooting at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket."
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The Providence Bruins also released a statement expressing support for those affected and thanking first responders.
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Investigators have not released the identities of the deceased. The motive beyond the reported domestic dispute is still under investigation.
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After the shooting, it was revealed that Dorgan was vocal about trans identity and advocacy on social media. Just one day before the shooting, Dorgan wrote "keep bashing us, but do not wonder why we Go BERSERK" Dorgan wrote in response to a post saying that transgender Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride is a man.
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On his Facebook account, Dorgan frequently posted photos from the gym or with his motorcycle.
He wrote about being transgender on social media, including a post of a guillotine over a urinal, writing, "probably a lot cheaper than 66 grand … i tells ya," and writing in response to a post telling transgender people not to be "scare[d]" away from starting a family, "transwoman, 6 kids: wife- not thrilled."
Per WPRI, Dorgan’s gender identity played a role in multiple family disputes over the years. In 2020, Dorgan went to the North Providence Police Department, reporting that he had recently undergone a sex change surgery and said that his father-in-law wanted him out of the house because of it. Dorgan claimed that his father-in-law threatened to “have him murdered by an Asian street gang if he did not move out of the residence," and said "there’s no goddam [sic] way a tranny is going to stay in my house." The father-in-law was charged in connection with the incident, however, the charges were dismissed.
Around the same time, Dorgan’s then-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, filed for divorce. She initially wrote "gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits" under a section for grounds for divorce, but crossed that out and wrote, "irreconcilable differences which have caused the immediate breakdown of the marriage."