Transgender father ID’d as ‘very sick’ RI hockey shooter who gunned down family
Robert Dorgan killed two 2, injured 3 at a RI high school hockey game, then took his own life.X/@VerdadEsPoder
Police identified the gunman who killed two people and critically injured three others at a high school hockey game in Rhode Island on Monday afternoon as Robert Dorgan and revealed he went by a female name.
The 56-year-old father, who shot family members and a family friend before he turned the gun on himself following the deadly rampage at the Pawtucket ice rink, used the alias Roberta Esposito, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said during a press conference Monday night.
“We have identified the person, the suspect, by a birth name, the birth name was Robert Dorgan,” Goncalves said.
Robert Dorgan is the father of a North Providence High School senior who was competing in the hockey tournament where he carried out his deadly rampage.Roberta Dorgano/X
The 56-year-old father, seen at a previous hockey game, used the alias Roberta Esposito.X/@VerdadEsPoder
“We have also learned that the person does go by the name of Roberta, also uses a last name of Esposito.”
Dorgan is the father of a North Providence High School senior who was competing in the hockey tournament, local station WPRI reported.
The suspected shooter sat near the back of the stands on the home team’s side during the game before he moved to the front and opened fire at four family members and one family friend, the outlet reported.
The student’s mother and sibling were among the dead, multiple sources told the outlet. The mother of Dorgan’s child died inside Lynch Arena, while the sibling died at the hospital, according to the sources.
Three victims are still in critical condition as of Monday night.
Dorgan took his own life at the scene, police said.
Police stand outside the perimeter they created around the Dennis M. Lynch Arena, where a shooting occurred earlier today in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on Feb. 16, 2026.AFP via Getty Images
People embrace and walk away as police stand outside the perimeter they created around the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on Feb. 16, 2026.AFP via Getty Images
Livestream footage captured the moment Dorgan opened fire at the hockey game.EricRueb/X
A woman who was seen leaving the Pawtucket police station earlier in the day said the gunman was her father, who “has mental health issues” and was “very sick.”
“He shot my family, and he’s dead now,” she said.
Goncalves praised a “Good Samaritan” who she said stepped in and “attempted to subdue” Dorgan. Witnesses said the man — the father of another hockey player — disarmed Dorgan, but he had a backup firearm, both of which police retrieved at the scene.
Harrowing livestream footage that captured the unfolding chaos showed clumps of spectators scrambling to the exit while others rushed to aid the victims. One witness told CBS News that she saw someone attempting CPR on the victims.
Dorgan is the father of a North Providence High School senior who was competing in the hockey tournament.Credit: Roberta Dorgano/X
Dorgan is said to have had “mental health issues” and was “very sick.”X/@VerdadEsPoder
Dorgan, father of a North Providence senior, shot his son’s mother and a sibling at Lynch Arena.Roberta Dorgano/X
Others sprinted to a nearby Walgreens, where staff locked down the building and called authorities.
Goncalves said police responded to the scene around 2:30 p.m. — just two minutes after receiving the first call.
Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien said law enforcement is working in tandem with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office “to ensure the facts are fully established” before making any other announcements.
“Pawtucket is a strong and resilient community, but tonight we are a city in mourning. We will stand together to support all those affected in the difficult days ahead, and we will keep the public updated as confirmed facts become available,” Grebien said.
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