Posted For: TheGatewayPunditShadowbans
Authorities in Rhode Island have identified the suspect in Monday’s shooting at a high school hockey game in Pawtucket as 62-year-old Robert Dorgan, who also used the name Roberta Esposito. Police say Dorgan opened fire on several relatives and a family friend before taking his own life. Three people, including Dorgan, died, and others were seriously injured.
Investigators later confirmed that one of Dorgan’s adult children, 37-year-old Kevin Colantonio, is currently serving a federal prison sentence for an attempted arson attack on a church. According to reporting by the Boston Globe, the attempted arson occurred nearly two years before the shooting, when Colantonio tried to set fire to Shiloh Gospel Temple Ministries, a predominantly Black Pentecostal congregation in North Providence.
‼️‼️ Shooting at Pawtucket, RI Ice Skating Rink.
2 Dead. 4 Injured.
— Maine (@TheMaineWonk) February 16, 2026
Court records state that Colantonio purchased gasoline and a lighter and ignited multiple fires along the exterior of the unoccupied building. He later pleaded guilty to malicious damage by fire and obstruction of religious exercise, as well as two counts of assaulting a federal officer after throwing feces at a guard while in custody. In June of last year, he was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison.
Prosecutors said Colantonio admitted he targeted the church because of the race, religion, or ethnicity of its members. Notes attributed to him before the attack included racist and violent statements, according to documents cited by Providence television station WPRI.
Police initially did not connect Colantonio to the shooting suspect. That link was confirmed Wednesday by Alfredo Ruggiero Jr., who said Dorgan was Colantonio’s biological father. Investigators said Dorgan had lived with Colantonio until about 2004.
Graphic content
A man in Rhode Island has admitted to setting multiple fires at a predominantly Black church, using gasoline and a lighter.
Fortunately, the church was vacant at the time.
Prosecutors allege that Kevin Colantonio, 35, specifically targeted the church because of the… pic.twitter.com/TcgKGcyCag
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) December 29, 2024
WPRI also reported that Dorgan had posted extremist and pro-Nazi content online, including messages on X. A social-media post highlighting the father-son connection circulated widely after the shooting, including one shared by the outlet RT.
Records reviewed by WPRI indicate Dorgan underwent gender-affirming surgery in 2020, the same year his spouse filed for divorce. Court filings and police reports also describe prior family disputes involving Dorgan and relatives, including allegations that were later dismissed.
The shooting remains under investigation. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive.