Rhode Island Youth Hockey Shooting Leaves Three Dead/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ A shooting during a youth hockey game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, left three people dead, including the gunman. Three others were hospitalized in critical condition after the violence at Dennis M. Lynch Arena. Police say a bystander intervened, helping bring the attack to a swift end.
Rhode Island Ice Rink Shooting Quick Looks
- Shooting occurred at Dennis M. Lynch Arena
- Three dead, including shooter
- Three victims in critical condition
- Police credit unnamed “good Samaritan”
- Shooter identified as Robert Dorgan
- Authorities investigating possible family dispute
Deep Look: Shooting at Rhode Island Youth Hockey Game Leaves 3 Dead
A shooting at a youth hockey game in Pawtucket left three people dead — including the gunman — and three others critically wounded, authorities said Monday night.
The violence erupted early Monday afternoon inside Dennis M. Lynch Arena, a popular local ice rink located just outside Providence. Families, students, and players had gathered to watch a youth hockey matchup when gunfire suddenly broke out.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said investigators believe the shooting was targeted and may have stemmed from a family dispute. The gunman, identified as Robert Dorgan, who also went by the name Roberta Esposito and was born in 1969, died from what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Police have not yet released the names of the two other people killed but confirmed both were adults. Three additional victims were hospitalized in critical condition as of Monday evening.
Swift Intervention by Bystander
Chief Goncalves credited an unnamed “good Samaritan” who intervened during the chaos, helping to subdue the shooter and bring the attack to what she described as a “swift end.” Officials did not provide details about the intervention but emphasized that it likely prevented further casualties.
Investigators have spoken with nearly 100 witnesses and are reviewing arena surveillance footage and video captured during the game. Unverified social media clips show players on the ice reacting to popping sounds, scrambling for exits as spectators flee the stands.
Outside the arena, emotional scenes unfolded as families embraced and high school players, still in uniform, boarded buses to leave the area.
Community in Shock
Pawtucket, a city of roughly 80,000 residents located just north of Providence near the Massachusetts border, has been shaken by the tragedy. The city had previously been known as the longtime headquarters of toy maker Hasbro.
Mayor Don Grebien called the event devastating. “These are high school kids,” he said. “They were doing an event, they were playing with their families watching, a fun time, and it turned into this.”
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee also expressed sorrow in a statement, saying the state is “grieving again.”
Recent Gun Violence in Rhode Island
The rink shooting comes less than two months after a separate tragedy at Brown University, where a gunman killed two students and wounded nine others before later killing a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. Authorities later found the suspect, Claudio Neves Valente, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in New Hampshire.
Officials emphasized that the two incidents are not connected.
Ongoing Investigation
Police continue to investigate what led to the shooting and whether warning signs existed beforehand. Authorities have not disclosed how the shooter obtained the firearm or whether there had been prior disputes among those involved.
For now, the Pawtucket community is left grappling with another episode of gun violence — this time in a setting meant for youth sports and family gathering.
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