The suspect in a Monday afternoon shooting in Pawtucket killed his ex-wife and adult son while attending his younger son’s high school hockey game, Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said Tuesday afternoon.
Rhonda Dorgan died of a gunshot wound at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena after gunfire broke out around 2:30 p.m., Goncalves said during a press conference. She was the ex-wife of the 56-year-old suspect, who was born Robert Dorgan, but was transgender and went by the names Roberta Dorgan and Roberta Esposito.
Aidan Dorgan, the Dorgans’ adult son, was taken to a hospital after he was shot at the ice rink, but he died of his injuries, the police chief said.
The other three people who were shot were Rhonda Dorgan’s parents, Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and a family friend named Thomas Jeruso, Goncalves said. They remain in critical care at a hospital as of 4 p.m. Tuesday.
A younger son of the suspect and Rhonda Dorgan, who is a minor, was competing in the Monday afternoon hockey game, the police chief said. The suspect and all five victims were at the arena to watch him play.
“There was no indication from the family or friends that any violence was underway, or that they were in fear of [the suspect],” Goncalves said.
After gunfire broke out midway through the game, at least three bystanders surrounded the suspect, the police chief said. At that time, Dorgan took out a second firearm and died by suicide.
“We continue to look into what the motivation was,” Goncalves said. “We’re not sure at this point what the trigger event was that happened yesterday.”
The police chief previously characterized the shooting as “a family dispute.”
Investigators are in the process of carrying out multiple search warrants in connection with the incident, including one that the FBI is assisting with in another state, she said.
Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies swarmed the ice arena to respond to the incident Monday afternoon. After the shooting, investigators spoke to approximately 100 people at the Pawtucket Police Station to try to piece together what happened, Goncalves said.
The shooting happened during a boys hockey game between the Coventry/Johnston school district and Blackstone Valley Co-op, which includes players from several Rhode Island schools, The Providence Journal reported.
A burst of over a dozen gunshots can be heard on a video of the hockey game that was recorded by a sports live-streaming service, but the shooting occurs off-camera. Within seconds, screaming can be heard, players can be seen rushing off the ice and spectators can be seen dispersing.
Goncalves asked anyone with photos or videos of the incident to contact Pawtucket police at 401-727-9100, ext. 1711. She said more information about the shooting will be released as the investigation continues.