Police have identified the suspect accused of killing two people and critically wounding three at a high school senior night hockey game in Rhode Island on Feb. 16.
Robert Dorgan, 56, fatally shot ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, and adult son, Aidan Dorgan. The family was attending their high school son’s hockey game, according to police. Authorities said the shooter critically wounded Rhonda Dorgan’s parents and a family friend.
The shooting happened at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, about 5 miles from Rhode Island’s capital, Providence. The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after opening fire, according to authorities.
Pawtucket Police Department Chief Tina Goncalves on Feb. 17 described the attack as “a domestic violence incident that was unfathomable in our city.” She said authorities are still working to establish a motive.
In video of the game acquired by the Providence Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network, what appears to be a burst of roughly 13 shots in 6 seconds, and then one final shot, 11 seconds later, can be heard off camera. It takes several shots before spectators and student athletes alike react, ducking down and seeking shelter before fleeing toward the exits.
Here’s what we know so far.
Goncalves identified the shooter as Robert Dorgan, 56, who also went by the name Roberta Esposito. She said the family was targeted, and it appeared they had been in some type of dispute.
The chief confirmed to reporters that Dorgan died at the arena from a self-inflicted gunshot wound but would not elaborate.
Public records show the shooting suspect moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in 2020. Court records document their wife filed for divorce that same year, citing irreconcilable differences.
Under grounds for divorce, Rhonda Dorgan wrote “Gender reassignment surgery, Narcissistic + personality disorder traits” and then crossed that out and wrote “irreconcilable differences which caused the irremediable breakdown of the marriage.”
The couple was married in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, in 1992, and their divorce was finalized in 2021, according to court records. The records also indicate the shooter was living in Maine as of 2022.
Photos that the shooter posted on social media show that they had a large bicep tattoo that appears to resemble the death’s head skull used as a logo by the 3rd SS Panzer Division “Totenkopf” in Nazi Germany, flanked by lighting bolts that look like the letters “SS.”
The “SS” letters likely reference the Schutzstaffel, the Nazi’s paramilitary force primarily tasked with carrying out a genocide against the Jewish people and others during the Holocaust.
On X, Dorgan described their politics as “to the right of Hitler.”
Three bystanders stepped in to overpower the shooter after they began firing, according to Goncalves. She said the people who intervened successfully disarmed the shooter, who then drew a second gun on themself.
“We always want to recognize the bravery of the good Samaritans who stepped into harm’s way to stop that shooter,” said Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien. “Their actions helped to restore order and save lives.”
A number of first responders, including firefighters and nurses, happened to be attending the hockey game and rendered aid to the victims, Goncalves said.
According to police, the shooter was a licensed gun owner and had a permit to carry out of Florida. Pawtucket Chief Goncalves said authorities were investigating whether the shooter had licenses in other states.
Police said the shooter carried two handguns: a Glock and a Sig Sauer.
Gonclaves said the shooter exited and reentered the arena before the shooting.
Pawtucket police said that they are combing bystander video, executing search warrants and interviewing witnesses to understand what sparked the shooting.
“There was no indication from the family or friends that there was any violence underway or that they were in fear of this individual,” Goncalves said. “We continue to look into what the motivation was, we’re not sure at this point, we don’t know what the triggering event was.”
Goncalves said her department’s review of video evidence so far has not shown that “there was any confrontation or conversation before the shooting happened.”
But, the shooting was “very targeted,” Goncalves added. “He did approach the family individually, and he fired upon the family.”
The shooting suspect was not previously known to Pawtucket police, Goncalves said. She said he had other contact with police through the state but “nothing to indicate any type of violence.”
One of the shooter’s sons was playing in the hockey game, Goncalves said, and she said it “wasn’t unusual” for the person to attend games.
“This individual had gone to many hockey games in the past, there was no indication of a need for police presence,” Goncalves said. “The person had traveled to watch the son play hockey multiple times.”
Before the shooting, the police chief said the shooter exited and reentered the building.
Goncalves said the shooter appeared at the game in “female clothes.”
The shooter was employed at Bath Iron Works, a Maine shipyard that builds U.S. Navy ships, the Providence Journal reported on Feb. 17.
David Hench, a spokesperson for the shipyard, wrote in an email to the USA TODAY Network, “Robert Dorgan was an active employee with General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, their families and all those affected by this tragedy. Any further questions related to the investigation should be directed to law enforcement.”
Police on Feb. 17 confirmed that the victims killed in the shooting were Rhonda Dorgan and son Aidan Dorgan.
The three people injured were grandparents Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and a family friend Thomas Geruso, Goncalves said. All three remain in critical condition.
This story has been updated to add new information
Contributing: Eryn Dion, Mark Reynolds and Paul Edward Parker, Providence Journal
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow h.er on X @nataliealund.
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