Robert Dorgan Identified as Rhode Island Hockey Rink Shooter, Allegedly Clashed With Family Over Gender Identity


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On Monday, horrifying video of a shooting at a high school hockey game went viral on social media.

Now, new details about the incident — which left three dead, including the shooter — have emerged.

The suspect who allegedly opened fire at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket has now been identified as Robert M. Dorgan.

Police stand outside the perimeter they created around the Dennis M. Lynch Arena where a shooting occurred earlier today in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on February 16, 2026.Police stand outside the perimeter they created around the Dennis M. Lynch Arena where a shooting occurred earlier today in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on February 16, 2026.
Police stand outside the perimeter they created around the Dennis M. Lynch Arena where a shooting occurred earlier today in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, on February 16, 2026. (Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images)

Authorities say two victims were killed, and the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Three other victims were wounded and rushed to a nearby hospital. They are expected to make full recoveries.

The alleged shooter has now been identified as Robert Dorgan, a truck driver whose most recent address was in Jacksonville, Florida.

Little is known about the perpetrator, but police believe the shooting was a targeted attack that stemmed from a family dispute.

The New York Post is reporting that Dorgan “shot his wife, three kids, and a family friend,” but police have yet to confirm the identity of the victims.

A Jacksonville resident named Robert Dorgan has been identified as the chief suspect in the Rhode Island hockey rink shooting.A Jacksonville resident named Robert Dorgan has been identified as the chief suspect in the Rhode Island hockey rink shooting.
A Jacksonville resident named Robert Dorgan has been identified as the chief suspect in the Rhode Island hockey rink shooting. (YouTube)

It’s important to note that we do not know the suspect’s motives at this time.

But Fox News and other outlets are reporting that Dorgan — who sometimes went by the name Roberta Esposito — was recently involved in a messy divorce and met with disapproval from his family over his decision to identify as transgender.

In her first divorce filing from 2021, Dorgan’s wife cited her reasons as “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic and personality disorder traits” before later amending the grounds to “irreconcilable differences.”

The year prior, Dorgan contacted North Providence police and claimed that his father-in-law had tried to force him out of his home due to his decision to undergo gender reassignment surgery.

The Post is reporting that Dorgan expressed his frustration with anti-trans rhetoric on X (formerly Twitter) one day before the shooting.

In response to a tweet in which actor Kevin Sorbo referred to US Rep. Sarah McBride as a man, Dorgan wrote:

“Keep bashing us. But do not wonder why we go BERSERK.”

Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said in a statement that the shooting “looked like it was a family dispute.”

“My father was the shooter,” a woman leaving the facility remarked, according to the Post.

She went on to claim that he was plagued by “mental health issues.”

“He shot my family, and he’s dead now,” she said, adding that he was “very sick.”

We will further updates on this developing story as new information becomes available.



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