{"id":231681,"date":"2026-02-17T09:04:32","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T15:04:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=231681"},"modified":"2026-02-17T12:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T18:35:28","slug":"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">3<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A high school senior night in Rhode Island turned into chaos Monday when a gunman opened fire inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena, killing two people and critically wounding three others before fatally shooting himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to on-scene coverage from <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcvb.com\/article\/mass-shooting-pawtucket-rhode-island-skating-rink\/70383243\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">WCVB<\/a><\/em>, police say the suspect shot five people inside the rink. Two victims died, and three remain in <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/missouri-officer-tasers-teen-leaves-critical-condition\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3580\">critical condition<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Players and families were bused to the Pawtucket Police Department for interviews as detectives began piecing together what happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&#039;My father was the shooter&#039; woman says outside Pawtucket PD\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bj4Gf9FzMlc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunt365-feral-hog-attack-woman-dead\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3581\">woman leaving<\/a> the police station identified the gunman as her father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cMy father was a shooter\u2026 He shot my family. And he\u2019s dead now,\u201d she told reporters, adding that he \u201chas mental health issues\u201d and was \u201cvery sick,\u201d according to WCVB.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Witnesses described panic erupting in the stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Experimenting with hormones that have direct effects on the brain <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/kSXupoglgq\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">https:\/\/t.co\/kSXupoglgq<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Dr. Naomi Wolf. 8 NYT Bestsellers. DPhil, Poetry. (@naomirwolf) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/naomirwolf\/status\/2023768304960332074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEverybody started jumping over the bench,\u201d one player said. \u201cWe heard the gunshots, but we didn\u2019t know what the noise was at first.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another described barricading the locker room doors with their bodies as CPR was performed in the stands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-suspect-identified-social-media-posts-surface\">Suspect Identified, Social Media Posts Surface<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>New York Post<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/17\/us-news\/ri-hockey-shooter-robert-dorgan-threatened-to-go-berserk-in-trans-rights-rant-day-before-mass-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">identified<\/a> the shooter as Robert Dorgan, 56, who also identified as Roberta Esposito. The outlet reported Dorgan underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2020 and had been involved in contentious court disputes tied to his identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <em>Post<\/em> reported that the night before the shooting, Dorgan posted on X in response to criticism of transgender Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BREAKING: The Rhode Island trans shooter tweeted YESTERDAY warning that you shouldn\u2019t point out that \u201ctrans women\u201d are really men or they will go \u201cberserk.\u201d<br \/><br \/>Transgender people are violent and a danger to society. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZAhZQQd7na\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">pic.twitter.com\/ZAhZQQd7na<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/libsoftiktok\/status\/2023690716002869334?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKeep bashing us. But do not wonder why we Go BERSERK.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Authorities have not officially confirmed a motive. However, Pawtucket <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/crime-drop-due-armed-citizens-says-detroit-police-chief\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3579\">Police Chief<\/a> Tina Goncalves said it appears to have been a targeted incident and \u201cmay be a family dispute.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Multiple outlets reported the two <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/sanders-wants-to-ban-guns-used-to-kill-people-exclusively\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3582\">people killed<\/a> were the mother of Dorgan\u2019s hockey-playing son and the student\u2019s sibling. Three others \u2014 including two relatives and a family friend \u2014 were critically injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Since 2018, there have been MULTIPLE mass shootings at the hands of transgenders.<br \/><br \/>&#8211; 2018 \u2013 Aberdeen, MD: 4 dead<br \/>&#8211; 2019 \u2013 Highlands Ranch, CO: 1 dead, 4 injured<br \/>&#8211; 2022 \u2013 Colorado Springs, CO: 5 dead<br \/>&#8211; 2023 \u2013 Nashville, TN: 6 dead<br \/>&#8211; 2024 \u2013 Perry, IA: 1 dead, 5 injured<br \/>&#8211; 2025 \u2013\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6SSRbZT5Q4\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">pic.twitter.com\/6SSRbZT5Q4<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Steven Crowder (@scrowder) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/scrowder\/status\/2023819800653320507?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-good-samaritan-help-stop-the-shooter\">Good Samaritan Help Stop the Shooter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Surveillance footage from inside the arena reportedly shows players diving for cover and spectators scrambling as gunfire erupted. The <em>New York Post <\/em>reported that a bystander \u2014 the father of another hockey player \u2014 attempted to disarm Dorgan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Slow motion video shows the moment Trans shooter shot his family dead at a hockey game in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. <br \/><br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JYFIPbrIVb\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">pic.twitter.com\/JYFIPbrIVb<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Oli London (@OliLondonTV) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OliLondonTV\/status\/2023631323928355066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;A good Samaritan stepped in and interjected in the scene, and that&#8217;s probably what led to a swift end of this tragic event,&#8221; said Chief Goncalves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The attack unfolded less than a week after a separate mass shooting in Canada <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?s=trans#:~:text=Trans%20Ex%2DStudent%20Identified%20in%20Deadly%20Canadian%20School%20Shooting\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">involving a transgender suspect<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mental-health-front-and-center\">Mental Health Front and Center<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the immediate aftermath, family members publicly pointed to severe mental health struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Normally, a white male committing a mass public shooting at a hockey game in a working class town would be catnip to our media. They are strangely silent on this one. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NusX5ncn3E\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">https:\/\/t.co\/NusX5ncn3E<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AnnCoulter\/status\/2023616194037641486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s sick. He\u2019s very sick,\u201d the shooter\u2019s daughter said outside the police station, according to <em>WCVB<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Authorities emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing. Detectives are reviewing surveillance footage and continuing interviews. The three surviving victims had not yet been interviewed as of the initial press conference due to the severity of their injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>WCVB<\/em> also reminded viewers of the 988 crisis hotline for anyone experiencing mental health distress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-senior-night-shattered\">A Senior Night Shattered<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>What was supposed to be a celebration for Blackstone Valley seniors instead ended with families embracing outside a police station, flowers in hand, and questions with no easy answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Robert Dorgan belonged in an asylum<br \/><br \/>But because it is &quot;offensive&quot; to do that, he was able to go out and kiII his own family during a school hockey game today <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/FBsCOUxzEP\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">pic.twitter.com\/FBsCOUxzEP<\/a><\/p>&mdash; End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EndWokeness\/status\/2023601762641313839?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\">February 17, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of now, <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-mil-leo-only-guns-from-your-favorite-companies\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3578\">law enforcement<\/a> has characterized the shooting as targeted and likely tied to a family dispute. The exact sequence of events, and whether warning signs were missed, remains under investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is a developing story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"trans-shooter-rhode-island-hockey-game\" title=\"Trans Dad Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The outlet reported Dorgan underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2020 and had been involved in contentious court disputes tied to his identity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":158,"featured_media":231686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4024],"tags":[132,607],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-231681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-buzz","9":"tag-news"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trans Shooter Opens Fire at Rhode Island Hockey Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A trans shooter opened fire at a Rhode Island high school hockey game, killing two family members and wounding three others.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" 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