PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Two people were killed and three others were injured when a gunman opened fire during a youth hockey game in Rhode Island on Monday, authorities said. The suspected shooter also died, apparently from a self-inflicted wound, according to police.
The shooting occurred at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena ice rink in Pawtucket during a game between co-op teams, WJAR reported.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves identified the suspect as Robert Dorgan, who also goes by Roberta Esposito, according to the television station.
Goncalves said the shooting was targeted and was believed to have stemmed from a family dispute, but added that an investigation was ongoing, WPRI reported.
A community celebration turned tragic in Pawtucket on Monday afternoon when 3 people were killed, including the shooter, and another 3 were injured during a hockey game.https://t.co/XwEMXKwzXI pic.twitter.com/dPem8xmfch
— Boston 25 News (@boston25) February 17, 2026
The television station reported that the shooter was the 56-year-old father of a North Providence High School senior. The suspected shooter opened fire and killed two family members, according to WPRI.
Police have not officially released the names of the victims.
Police said they received a report of a shooting at the arena at around 2:30 p.m. ET. Goncalves said that officers responded to the scene in less than two minutes, WJAR reported.
The three injured victims were in critical condition at Rhode Island Hospital, a spokesperson for Brown Health told WPRI.
According to the television station, the arena was hosting a “Senior Night” game between the Coventry-Johnston co-op team against the four institutions that are part of the Blackstone Valley Schools team: St. Raphael Academy, Providence Country Day School, and the public school districts of North Providence and North Smithfield.
“What should have been a joyful occasion, with dozens of families, students, and supporters gathered to celebrate Senior Night … was instead marked by violence and fear,” Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien said in a statement. “Our prayers go out to the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this devastating incident.”
Tuesday 7 AM: @sophiaszabotv is outside Lynch Arena in Pawtucket with the latest on the deadly shooting that happened during a high school hockey game. https://t.co/jzwGx99qla pic.twitter.com/kteJmxkG6E
— WPRI 12 (@wpri12) February 17, 2026
Olin Lawrence, a sophomore for Coventry, said he was on the ice when he heard “several popping noises.”
“I thought it was balloons at first,” Lawrence told WPRI. “It was loud.
“I got down and skated off the ice. It was very scary. I didn’t really know what was going on.”
Goncalves also credited a good Samaritan who intervened and attempted to subdue the shooter, WJAR reported. She said the man’s actions led to a “swift end to this tragic event.”
A statement from the Boston Bruins: pic.twitter.com/7orJgA3myz
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 16, 2026
Goncalves said that police have interviewed more than 100 witnesses and reviewed several videos of the shooting, The Providence Journal reported. Police also recovered firearms at the rink, according to the newspaper. Police also towed a white van with Maine license plates, WFXT reported.
The shooting in Pawtucket comes two months after a gunman killed two students and wounded nine others at Brown University. The shooter, who later killed himself at a New Hampshire storage facility, also fatally shot a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor.
“Our state is grieving again,” Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee said in a statement. “As Governor, a parent, and a former coach, my heart breaks for the victims, families, students, and everyone impacted by the devastating shooting at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.”
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