Police identified the suspect in the Pawtucket, Rhode Island, hockey arena shooting as 56‑year‑old Robert Dorgan, who also used the name Roberta Esposito.
Three people, including the suspect, were killed in a “targeted” shooting during a youth hockey game, authorities said. Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said three additional victims were hospitalized in critical condition. The suspect died from an apparent self‑inflicted gunshot wound, she added.
Goncalves publicly identified Dorgan, who was at an arena to watch a family member’s hockey game, during a news conference Monday night.
An X account by the name of Roberta Dorgano in Rhode Island has been widely linked to the suspect.
The account follows, reposts and replies to a host of conservative accounts, including Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, former GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and far-right podcaster Nick Fuentes. Dorgan appears in multiple posts to approve of the efforts of Massie and Greene in pushing for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
However, in an X reply to conservative actor Kevin Sorbo, who made an anti-transgender remark about Democrat Representative Sarah McBride of Delaware, the Dorgano account replies, “keep bashing us. but do not wonder why we Go BERSERK.”
In the same X thread, Alex Jones, who called McBride “creepy,” Dorgan appears to reply, “stfu Alex dont be so butt hurtt over somebody different. then wonder why trans ppl go fkn BERSERK.”
What Led to the Rhode Island Hockey Rink Shooting?
Police have said the shooting appeared to be targeted and stemmed from a family dispute, but authorities have not publicly identified the victims. Goncalves said Monday night one person involved was described as a “family friend,” though she did not specify whether that individual was among those killed or wounded.
“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” she said. Goncalves did not provide details about the ages of the victims.
Goncalves also said a Good Samaritan intervened and attempted to subdue the shooter, but authorities did not identify that individual. Firearms were recovered at the scene.
Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien said the three people wounded in the shooting are “fighting for their lives.”
“Tonight we are a city in mourning,” he said, adding that the investigation remains active and that more than 100 witnesses have already been interviewed.
Court Records Link Past Family Disputes to Suspect’s Gender Identity
Court records cited by local news station WPRI-TV show that in 2020, Dorgan contacted North Providence police during a dispute with family members after he said he had undergone gender‑reassignment surgery and was being pressured to leave the family home. The records describe allegations of threats made during that conflict; charges were later filed but ultimately dismissed by prosecutors.
The documents also show that around the same period, Dorgan’s then‑wife filed for divorce, initially referencing gender‑related issues before the filing was amended to cite irreconcilable differences.
Police have said the shooting appeared to stem from a targeted family dispute, and authorities stressed that the investigation remains ongoing.
Last week, the suspected school shooter in British Columbia, Jesse Van Rootselaar, was transgender.
Many conservatives believe that there is a pattern of transgender violence and that a growing number of mass shootings are committed by those who have been through gender-affirming care. The Trump administration has also proposed banning transgender people from owning guns by labelling gender dysmorphia as a disqualifying condition.
By comparison, cisgender males committed 97.5 percent of mass shootings between 1996 and 2024, while cisgender women made up 2.03 percent of cases in the U.S.
Video Shows Chaos as Shots Fired Inside Pawtucket Arena
A 2 p.m. hockey game was underway at the time of the shooting. The teams playing were the Coventry‑Johnston co‑op and the St. Raphael‑Providence Country Day‑North Providence‑North Smithfield co‑op. Videos posted to social media show the teams and officials hurrying off the ice, while spectators flee toward the exits, as a series of shots are fired.
Outside, tearful families and high school hockey players still in uniform hugged as they boarded a bus to leave the area. Surrounding roads were closed as a heavy police presence remained and helicopters flew overhead.
Pawtucket sits just north of Providence along the Massachusetts border. The city of nearly 80,000 was long known as the home of toy maker Hasbro’s headquarters, and vehicles bearing Mr. Potato Head license plates remain a common sight.
“These are high school kids. They were doing an event, they were playing with their families watching, a fun time, and it turned into this,” Grebien said.
Updates: 2/16/26, 11:45 p.m. ET: This article was updated with new information.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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