The transgender mom, who unleashed horror at a high-school hockey game in Rhode Island, showed no signs of violence before firing at her family members.
The parent opened fire on what was supposed to be a special day celebrating the high-school team’s “senior night.”
Students, athletes, and their families watched in horror as two victims lost their lives and three others were critically wounded.
Highlights
- A parent with a firearm unleashed horror at a high-school hockey game in Rhode Island.
- Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said the suspect's birth name was Robert Dorgan and she also went by Roberta Esposito.
- Roberta's tattoos included symbols commonly used by neo-N*zis and white supr*m*c*sts to fuel their racist rhetoric.
- Students spoke about running to the locker room and barricading themselves as the rampage unfolded.
A transgender mom unleashed horror at a high-school hockey game in Rhode Island
Image credits: NBC 10 WJAR
Trigger warning: This article contains graphic details that may be distressing to some
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves identified the suspect during a Monday press conference.
“We have identified the person, the suspect, by a birth name, the birth name was Robert Dorgan,” Tina said. “We have also learned that the person does go by the name of Roberta, also uses a last name of Esposito.”
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
Surveillance footage captured Roberta entering and exiting the Dennis M. Lynch Arena once before returning to open fire at her family members.
Roberta unleashed a volley of bullets during the boys' hockey game at around 2:30 p.m. on Monday, fatally striking her ex-wife, Rhonda Dorgan, and adult son, Aidan Dorgan.
Roberta claimed two lives and critically wounded three others before passing away from a self-inflicted firearm wound
Image credits: EricRueb
Rhonda's mother and father, Linda and Gerald Dorgan, and a family friend, Thomas Geruso, were also struck and taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Spectators at the scene reportedly wrestled the weapon out of Roberta’s hand during the attack, but she brandished a second weapon and fired at herself.
She lost her life from the self-inflicted wound.
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
“There was no indication that there was going to be violence. This individual had gone to many hockey games in the past,” Tina told reporters and called the brutal attack a “domestic violence incident.”
“To have virtually a complete family sh*t and several k*lled, I just can’t imagine what those families are going through,” Rhode Island Gov. Daniel McKee said on Tuesday.
As students ran for cover, some spectators lunged at the suspect and wrestled the weapon out of her hand
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Michael Black was among the brave witnesses who lunged at Roberta to stop the bloodshed.
“I heard two sh*ts, and I said, ‘balloons popping,’” he told WCVB. “I heard another popping and recognized it was not a balloon.”
He said he initially “hesitated.” But “as soon as the people cleared is when I got up on the next step and jumped,” he said. “I just grabbed, went for the g*n and I got my hand caught.”
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
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Prior to the bloodshed, Roberta shared a number of problematic posts promoting “white power,” “white pride worldwide,” and antisemitism.
She also had a large symbol (stylized lightning-bolts) tattooed on her right arm, representing the Schutzstaffel paramilitary organization under N*zi Germany.
Schutzstaffel, often shortened to “SS,” was responsible for many war crimes and atrocities during World War II.
Roberta's tattoos included symbols commonly used by neo-N*zis and white supr*m*c*sts to fuel their racist rhetoric
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
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Roberta’s tattoo included a white skull with red eyes, known as Totenkopf (or “d**th’s head”), which is a symbol for an SS branch that used to be responsible for guarding concentration camps.
Today, the symbols are commonly used by neo-N*zis and white supr*m*c*sts to fuel their racist rhetoric.
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
Image credits: Boyice123
Officials found that Roberta had a tense relationship with the family over the years.
Her ex-wife Rhonda had filed for divorce in 2020 and initially cited “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits” as the reasons for their split.
The filing was later changed to say “irreconcilable differences” caused the “immediate breakdown of the marriage.”
Their divorce was ultimately finalized in 2021.
The suspect had tense relations with the family and officially divorced victim Rhonda in 2021
Image credits: Roberta Esposito
Image credits: Mishtrash
Investigators also found that Roberta had gone to the police in 2020 to complain about Rhonda’s father wanting her out of the house due to her transition.
She alleged that her in-law threatened to have her “m**dered by an Asian street g*ng if she did not move out of the residence,” which was her home for seven years.
During Monday’s hockey game, students and family members ran for cover as Roberta opened fire.
Many rushed to the locker room and took cover, while hockey players on the ice dashed over the rink’s barrier.
“I thought it was balloons at first. It was loud,” Olin Lawrence, a sophomore goalie from Coventry High School, told CBS News.
Witnesses spoke about the horror they witnessed during the high school hockey game
Image credits: WCVB Channel 5 Boston
“It kept going on, so I ran right into the locker room right after I got off the ice,” the student recalled.
Olin was among several players who barricaded themselves inside the locker room.
“We pressed against the door and just tried to stay safe down in there. It was very scary. We were very nervous. It was a lot of sh*ts,” he said.
Image credits: Global News
One woman said parents were “shaken up” by the incident.
“Some I could hear crying that the shooter was sitting behind them, next to them, not knowing what was about to happen,” she told the outlet.
If you or someone you know is struggling with self-harm or s**c*dal ideation, help is available: International Hotlines
“Kids at a hockey rink should never witness this,” one commented online
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