A livestream intended to share a high school hockey team’s senior tournament for loved ones who couldn’t attend wound up capturing the terrifying moment a transgender gunman opened fire at the match — sending players and spectators fleeing for their lives.
Robert Dorgan, 56, — who also went by the name Roberta Esposito — opened fire inside Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, around 2:30 p.m., killing two and injuring three others in what police are investigating as a “family dispute.”
Dorgan, who authorities said took his own life after the rampage, was the father of a North Providence High School senior competing in the tournament, according to WPRI. His body was discovered near one of the slain victims.
Livestream footage captured the moment a gunman opened fire at a hockey game in Rhode Island. EricRueb/X
The game between two co-op teams was in full force when approximately 11 gunshots rang out, according to the harrowing livestream footage.
Dorgan had opened fire on four family members and one family friend. The student’s mom and sibling are among the dead, multiple sources told WPRI.
Students and spectators in the stands dove to the ground, but the players on the ice had nowhere to hide. None appeared to be injured as they rushed off the rink and reportedly barricaded themselves inside the locker room.
The others in the stands made a mad dash for the exit. The players trapped in the box squeezed out two at a time, with some ditching their skates in the process.
Others vaulted over the barrier surrounding the rink and joined their teammates in the locker room, according to the video.
Police stand outside the Dennis M Lynch Arena, an indoor ice skating rink, after a shooting in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on Feb. 16, 2026. REUTERS
The shooting started inside the Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, at around 2:30 p.m. REUTERS
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. Credit: Roberta Dorgano/X
Screams echoed through the stadium as some adults could be overheard frantically relaying directions. One section of attendees near the Blackstone Valley Schools’ bench stayed in the stands.
In another video shared on social media, fans are seen fleeing from the corner of the rink — including a cameraman who appeared to be filming the game.
Branden Mello, a local sports editor who was at the game, said that the Dorgan was sitting in the last row of the stands near the Blackstone Valley Schools’ bench before he moved down to the front and fired at people in the “second or third row.”
People embrace and walk away as police stand outside the perimeter they created around the Dennis M. Lynch Arena following Monday’s mass shooting. AFP via Getty Images
Dorgan shot five people, killing two, before police believe he turned the gun on himself. AP
Mello said that another father at the game wrestled a gun out of Dorgan’s hands, but he still “had a second weapon” and fired again.
Students from Coventry, Johnston, North Providence, and North Smithfield high schools were all at the arena, along with others from St. Raphael Academy and Providence Country Day School.
St. Raphael Academy, Coventry’s superintendent, and Johnston Public Schools all confirmed that their students were safe and accounted for.