A youth hockey game in Rhode Island turned into a scene of chaos and bloodshed Monday afternoon when a parent opened fire inside a packed arena — killing two family members, wounding three others, and then taking his own life.
Police say the violence erupted just before 3 p.m. at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket during a high school matchup. Terrified teens were skating on the ice. Families filled the stands. Then the shots rang out.
Authorities identified the shooter as Robert Dorgan, who publicly went by the name Roberta after transitioning in 2020. Investigators believe the attack stemmed from a bitter and long-running domestic dispute involving Dorgan’s ex-wife and children.
Court records show Dorgan’s then-wife, Rhonda, filed for divorce around the same time Dorgan underwent gender-reassignment surgery. The filing cited “irreconcilable differences.”
What followed, according to people familiar with the situation, was years of tension.
On Monday, that tension exploded in the most public way imaginable.
Police say Dorgan targeted family members seated several rows below in the stands. Rhonda Dorgan and one of the couple’s sons were killed. Three additional relatives were injured. After firing multiple rounds, Dorgan turned the gun on himself.
The rampage came just one day after Dorgan posted a disturbing message on social media.
Responding to a post by actor Kevin Sorbo about transgender lawmaker Sarah McBride, Dorgan wrote: “keep bashing us. but do not wonder why we Go BERSERK.”
In another reply directed at conspiracy broadcaster Alex Jones, Dorgan warned critics not to “wonder why trans ppl go (f——) BERSERK.”
Investigators are reviewing those posts as part of the case.
Law enforcement officials cautioned that, at this stage, the shooting appears to be domestic in nature. “All evidence points to a family dispute,” one local official told reporters. “We are not seeing indications of a broader ideological motive.”
Still, the language has raised questions about Dorgan’s state of mind in the hours leading up to the attack.
Outside the Pawtucket Police Department, a woman who identified herself as Dorgan’s daughter delivered a heartbreaking statement.
“He shot my family, and he’s dead now,” she said. “He was very sick. He had mental health issues.”
Police have not released detailed medical information but confirmed that investigators are examining Dorgan’s history.
Video circulating online captures the moment the violence began. Players on the ice ducked instinctively. Some sprinted toward the benches. Spectators scrambled for exits.
Branden Mello, who said he was in the building, described the scene on social media.
“Early during the first period, they moved down and opened fire on people in the second or third row,” Mello wrote. “I heard six initial shots and went behind the boards.”
Mello said another parent attempted to intervene and grab the weapon, but Dorgan allegedly produced a second firearm and resumed shooting.
The attack sent families rushing toward front and side exits. Coaches quickly locked players inside locker rooms until police cleared the arena.
One 16-year-old goalie told Boston’s WCVB that he was on the ice when the first shots echoed through the rink.
“I’m overwhelmed, but trying to stay calm,” the teen said. “You don’t know what it feels like until you’re in it.”
Pawtucket officials canceled school activities and increased police presence as the investigation continues. Counselors were made available for students and families.
“This is every parent’s nightmare,” one local resident said outside the arena. “You send your kid to a hockey game. You don’t expect gunfire.”
Authorities have not announced potential changes to security protocols at school sporting events, but the shooting is already renewing debate about safety at youth venues across America.
For now, a tight-knit Rhode Island community is left mourning two lives lost in what should have been an ordinary afternoon at the rink — and grappling with how a domestic dispute spiraled into public tragedy.
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Of course this transgender man had Mental problems because any pers
While not as extreme as this waste of human flesh, there would have to be at least some mental imbalance existing in the lives of most all transgenders due to their life style. But most of them don’t go postal like this man/woman/whatever.
Sent from my iPhone
Just more proof that trannies are sick !!