A shooting at a hockey game in Rhode Island on Monday night left three people dead, including the shooter, and three others hospitalized in critical condition, authorities have confirmed.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves told reporters that someone quickly intervened during the violent scene, attempting to subdue the shooter, who was at the arena to watch a family member’s hockey game. The quick action, while not preventing all casualties, potentially saved lives.
The shooter died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, Chief Goncalves stated, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
It appears to be a targeted event, possibly stemming from a family dispute.
The shooter has been identified as Robert Dorgan, who was also known as Roberta Esposito, and was born in 1969, according to Chief Goncalves.
Police have not released details about the suspect or the ages of those killed, but indicated the two other victims appeared to be adults.
Investigators are working to piece together the events and are interviewing witnesses from the shooting that occurred inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, just outside of Providence. They are also reviewing video footage from the hockey game. Unverified images circulating on social media show players falling to the ice for cover and fans fleeing their seats after shots rang out.
Outside the arena, families were seen in tears and young hockey players, still in uniform, embraced one another.
Photo : Getty Images / JOSEPH PREZIOSO
Outside the arena, families were seen in tears and young hockey players, still in uniform, embraced before boarding a bus to leave the scene. Roads around the arena were closed, and a significant police presence remained, with helicopters circling overhead.
The shooting on Monday comes less than two months after another tragedy involving gun violence shook Rhode Island, at Brown University, where a shooter killed two students and wounded nine. That shooter, Claudio Neves Valente, 48, was later found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a Novel Hampshire warehouse.
Fortunately, the two incidents are not related, but it’s still tragic,” said Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien. “These were young people. They were at an event, they were watching their families, they were having fun, and this is what happened.
Pawtucket, located just north of Providence and bordering Massachusetts, was until recently known as the home of Hasbro’s corporate headquarters.
