On Monday, February 16, 2026, a tragic shooting unfolded during a high school “Senior Night” hockey game at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, leaving the community in shock and mourning.
Authorities and family members have identified the victims killed in the attack as Rhonda Dorgan and her son, Aidan Dorgan. The incident, which authorities have described as stemming from a family dispute, also left three other individuals critically injured.
The suspect, 56-year-old Robert K. Dorgan, who also went by the name Roberta Esposito, died at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound following the attack. According to Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves, Dorgan entered the arena around 2:30 p.m. to watch the hockey game, in which a relative was playing. Approximately half an hour later, he opened fire in the stands, firing about a dozen shots before a heroic bystander intervened and attempted to subdue him, an action credited with preventing further bloodshed.
Court documents and reports have revealed a complex and contentious family history. Rhonda Dorgan had filed for divorce from Robert Dorgan in 2020, initially citing “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits” as grounds, though those were later replaced with “irreconcilable differences.” The divorce was finalized in June 2021.
Records also show that Robert Dorgan had previous disputes with family members, including an incident where he reported to police that his father-in-law threatened him over his gender identity, charges that were later dismissed. Following the shooting, a woman identifying herself as Dorgan’s daughter told reporters that her father “has mental health issues” and confirmed that he had shot members of her family.
In the days leading up to the shooting, an online profile appearing to belong to Dorgan shared ominous posts, including a video of someone loading ammunition magazines and a warning on X (formerly Twitter) to “not wonder why we Go BESERK.” On the day of the shooting, Dorgan also made a social media comment referring to his ex-wife as his “beloved RHONDA.”
The scene at the arena was chaotic and terrifying, with livestream footage capturing the sound of gunshots and players and spectators scrambling for safety. Players from the Coventry-Johnston co-op team described barricading themselves in locker rooms. Fortunately, no student athletes were physically harmed, and all were eventually reunited with their families.