What We Know About the Rhode Island Ice-Rink Shooting

Police say a shooter killed two people and critically injured three others on Monday at a youth hockey game in Rhode Island, during what they believe was a targeted attack following a domestic dispute. The suspect, whom law enforcement identified as 56-year-old Robert Dorgan, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, per the New York Times.

The victims killed in the shooting were Dorgan’s ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, and his 23-year-old son, Aidan Dorgan, authorities said on Tuesday afternoon. Police added that the three people injured are Rhonda’s parents, Linda and Gerald Dorgan, as well as Thomas Geruso, a family friend. Rhode Island Hospital told the Providence Journal they remained in critical condition as of Tuesday evening. Family members have also set up a GoFundMe to support the Dorgans’ two surviving children, nursing student Ava and high-school senior Colin.

Police say the shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m. during a senior night high-school hockey match at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, a few miles outside Providence. Pawtucket police chief Tina Goncalves said that Dorgan was at the ice rink to watch a family member play in the game. She added that “a Good Samaritan stepped in and interjected in this scene, and that’s probably what led to a swift end of this tragic event.”

Dorgan was licensed to carry firearms in Florida and used two legally acquired guns in the shooting, police said Tuesday. Court records showed he had lived in Maine since 2022; he was an employee at Bath Iron Works, a shipyard that builds U.S. Navy ships, a spokesperson told the Journal. The Journal reported that Dorgan described his politics as “to the right of Hitler” on X. He also posted photos on social media showing he had a large tattoo of two Nazi symbols on his bicep.

WPRI reported that Dorgan’s gender identity seemed to have been a source of frequent legal disputes within the family in recent years. Authorities stated that Dorgan also went by the name Roberta Esposito but did not provide further details. A woman leaving the Pawtucket Police Department, who identified herself as Dorgan’s daughter but did not give her name, told local outlet NewsCenter 5 that he had “mental-health issues.”

The incident happened two months after the state was rocked by a separate shooting at Brown University, where a gunman opened fire at a lecture hall at the height of finals season, killing two people and injuring nine others.

“Our state is grieving again,” Rhode Island governor Dan McKee said in a statement. “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.”

This post has been updated.