Rhonda Dorgan and her son, Aidan Dorgan, were fatally shot Monday at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, according to Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves. The shooter, identified as Rhonda Dorgan’s ex-husband, Robert Dorgan, 56, died by suicide at the scene after injuring three others.
Goncalves identified the injured as Linda and Gerald Dorgan, Rhonda Dorgan’s parents, and Thomas Geruso, a family friend. All three remain in critical care, she said.
The shooting occurred during a high school hockey game in which Aidan Dorgan, a senior at North Providence High School, was participating. Authorities initially reported one of the victims was a child, a detail that has since been corrected.
Robert Dorgan, who also went by the name Roberta Esposito, had attended his son’s hockey games in the past, according to Goncalves, making his actions on Monday all the more unexpected. She stated that Dorgan appeared to have targeted the victims individually before opening fire, with no apparent prior interaction or dispute.
Witnesses at the arena attempted to intervene, prompting Dorgan to brandish a second firearm before taking his own life, Goncalves said.
Court records reveal Rhonda Dorgan filed for divorce from Robert Dorgan in 2020, initially citing “gender reassignment surgery” and “personality disorder traits” as grounds. These reasons were later amended to “irreconcilable differences,” and the divorce was finalized in June 2021. At the time of the proceedings, Dorgan was living in Jacksonville, Florida, and working as a truck driver.
A GoFundMe page created by family members identifies the victims as Aidan and Rhonda Dorgan and seeks donations to support Aidan’s two siblings, who have been orphaned, and their critically injured grandparents.
Police investigations have revealed that Dorgan had a history of domestic conflict, including legal complaints involving relatives and tensions surrounding his gender identity, according to court documents reviewed by local media. In early 2020, Dorgan filed a complaint with North Providence police alleging a threat from his father-in-law following gender reassignment surgery.
An adult daughter of Robert and Rhonda Dorgan spoke to media outlets, describing her father as having longstanding mental health struggles. Another adult child was among those fatally shot.
