The ex-wife and son of shooter were killed in the Rhode Island ice rink attack (Image: Facebook)
The person who opened fire during a school hockey game at an ice rink in the US killed their ex-wife and one son, according to authorities.
The shooting took place in Rhode Island on Monday, February 17.
Pawtucket Chief of Police Tina Goncalves has confirmed that the victims were the shooter’s ex-wife Rhonda Dorgan and adult son Aidan Dorgan.
Three others were injured, the parents of the shooter’s ex-wife and a family friend. The force reported that the shooter died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The shooter has been identified as Robert Dorgan, who also went by the name Roberta Esposito.
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The police chief said there was “no indication” there would be violence at the ice rink in Pawtucket on Monday afternoon, adding that Dorgan had been to many hockey games before without incident.
It is believed that Dorgan had not had any confrontation with relatives before the shooting occurred.
Goncalves on Monday credited an unnamed “good Samaritan” who intervened, bringing the attack “to a swift end.”
Investigators had spoken to nearly 100 witnesses as of Monday evening inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket to attempt to piece together what happened.
Goncalves said on Tuesday at least three bystanders were able to contain Dorgan but said they were still able to reach for a second firearm. Dorgan then died of a self-inflicted gunshot.
The match was being livestreamed and videos have been shared on social media of players on the ice scrambling as gunshots are heard.
Players dive for cover and those on the ice frantically skate towards exits as fans flee their seats. The livestreamer LiveBarn has warned people to not share the video.
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Dorgan was an employee of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, a ship building facility in Bath, Maine, that contracts with the U.S. Navy, David Hench, a spokesperson for the shipyard, said Tuesday.
Hench did not provide further information about Dorgan’s job title or how long they worked at the shipyard.
Destiny Mackenzie, a colleague, said that Dorgan used the women’s bathroom and that the two of them would often talk about family. Dorgan was often called Roberta at work and Mackenzie added that they had a bad temperment, often getting involved in screaming matches with colleagues.
Mackenzie recalled that a hockey-playing son often came up in conversation but never their ex-wife.
“What was supposed to be some seniors’ only chance at playoff games is now ruined,” she wrote in a message to The Associated Press. “Images that these kids and family’s now have to live with. That’s who I send my condolences to is those families.
« The reality of our gun laws needs a major reconsideration and it unfortunate guns land in the hands of such sick individuals.”
Another coworker claimed Dorgan appeared to be split on the issue of transgender acceptance, one second being proud of transitioning and the next, embarrassed.
That coworker, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of workplace reprisals, said they were aware Dorgan owned guns but was unsure how many.
Three were dead after the shooting (Image: Getty)
Dorgan had a short-lived stint in the Marine Corps, enlisting on April 26, 1988, according to military records provided by the service. Less than three months later, on July 13, he was separated from the service with the lowest military rank.
Maj. Jacoby Getty, a Marine Corps spokesman, told The Associated Press that the rapid discharge indicated “the character of his service was incongruent with Marine Corps’ expectations and standards.” Getty did not give any further details.
A bystander, Michael Steven, said that crying parents were trying to relocate their children outside the arena with young people being taken out on stretchers.
“It happens far too often in our nation,” Steven told reporters.
The shooting came nearly two months after the horrific Brown University shooting that left two students dead and wounded nine others.
“Our state is grieving again,” Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement. “As governor, a parent, and a former coach, my heart breaks for the victims, families, students, and everyone impacted by the devastating shooting at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.”
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