The family of Roberta Dorgan, the mother who opened fire on her son and ex-wife at a Rhode Island high school hockey game, has released a statement following the tragedy.
Dorgan entered the arena and fired at her 23-year-old son, Aidan, taking his life. The assailant also fatally attacked her ex-wife, 52-year-old Rhonda Dorgan, in the stands.
Highlights
- Roberta Dorgan opened fire during a youth hockey game in Rhode Island, taking the lives of one of her sons and ex-wife and injuring three others.
- Dorgan had attended the game with her family to watch her high school-aged son play.
- Authorities said the attack appeared to be motivated by a “family dispute.”
They also seriously wounded Rhonda’s parents, Linda Dorgan and Gerald Dorgan, and as well as a family friend named Thomas Geruso, all of whom reportedly remain hospitalized in critical condition.
Image credits: Roberta Esposito/Facebook
Trigger Warning: The following article contains details that may be distressing to some readers.
The attacker’s teenage son was playing at the time and was not hurt, authorities said.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves identified the individual as Robert Dorgan, who she said also went by the names Roberta Dorgan and Roberta Esposito. The perpetrator reportedly identified as a woman and underwent gender-affirming surgery in 2020, as per The Post.
“We are all deeply and profoundly affected by the recent events that took place at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena,” the Dorgan family said in a statement through their attorney Joseph Signore.
Image credits: Roberta Esposito/Facebook
“We are reminded that behind every headline is a family experiencing profound pain and loss. We care greatly for all families impacted by this recent tragedy and our thoughts are with them.”
“While there are many questions being asked, please know we are focused on all of those who have been injured and whose lives have been forever changed.”
As Dorgan was firing her weapon, a good Samaritan, Michael Black, intervened and helped subdue her.
Image credits: Rhonda Dorgan/Facebook
Black had been watching the game with his wife when he heard three loud bangs.
“I didn’t even look at my wife. I said, ‘Run, run,’” he told NBC Boston. "I saw the g*n, and I took a step and jumped down, grabbed the g*n, tried to knock the person down — which I was able to do. I was able to get the g*n away.”
According to Black, Dorgan had a “scared look” on her face.
During the struggle with Dorgan, other bystanders jumped on top of the assailant as well.
Image credits: Rhonda Dorgan/Facebook
Dorgan was found lifeless inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket on Monday (February 16), seemingly from a self-inflicted wound with a second weapon.
Investigators recovered the two weapons from the scene, a Glock 10 millimeter and a SIG Sauer P226 pistol.
The police chief told reporters that the bystanders’ intervention helped bring the violent scene to a swift end.
Image credits: Roberta Esposito/Facebook
“I just want to make sure people understand this was one person’s vendetta against their family,” Amanda Wallace-Hubbard, Dorgan’s daughter from another relationship, told WPRI.
“We were targeted. This was very specific. It wasn’t random.”
After Dorgan opened fire, spectators dove for cover, and players on the ice quickly skated toward the exits.
Michael Steven, a witness, recalled seeing crying parents trying to locate their children outside the arena and young people being taken out on stretchers.
Mourners gathered at Slatersville Congregational Church in North Smithfield for a candlelight vigil on Tuesday night.
“It's really sad. It should never have happened," said a family friend, William Soares. "No one deserved to have that happen to them."
"It's unfortunate. The brother didn't deserve it. The mom didn't deserve it. Everybody in the hospital — nobody deserved it," added Ethan Kasht, who knew the victims.
Image credits: Roberta Esposito/Facebook
According to court documents, Rhonda Dorgan filed for divorce from the 56-year-old attacker in February 2020.
In the petition, she reportedly wrote "gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits" as grounds for the divorce. Those words were seemingly crossed out and replaced with "irreconcilable differences.”
The police chief said investigators were analyzing Roberta Dorgan’s social media posts, but added that her gender identity was "irrelevant to the investigation at this point.”
Image credits: NBC 10 WJAR
Authorities said a preliminary investigation suggests that Dorgan, who had previously attended her son’s hockey games, may have acted following a family dispute.
Dorgan was an employee of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, a ship building facility in Maine that contracts with the US Navy.
A colleague, Destiny Mackenzie, recalled that Dorgan had a bad temper and sometimes screamed at co-workers.
Sara Graves, another colleague, said Dorgan had told her that she was not “fully accepted by her family.”
Dorgan was reportedly charged with simple a*sault and battery in nearby Providence in 1989, and with driving on a suspended license in 1994. Both charges were dropped.
Image credits: Roberta Esposito/Facebook
The attack comes almost two months after a man opened fire at Brown University in Providence, taking three lives before turning the weapon on himself.
"Our state is grieving again," Rhode Island Governor 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 sh**ting at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket."
