Pawtucket Ice Rink Shooting Kills Family Amid Youth Hockey Game

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — On Feb. 16, 2026, at approximately 2:30 p.m., during a boys' hockey game between the Coventry/Johnston co-op team and the Blackstone Valley Co-op—featuring players from St. Raphael Academy, Providence Country Day School, North Providence High School and North Smithfield High School—56-year-old Robert Dorgan, also known as Roberta Esposito, opened fire in the stands at Dennis M. Lynch Arena. Seated with family, Dorgan targeted ex-wife Rhonda Dorgan and their adult son Aidan Dorgan, killing both instantly; Rhonda's parents and a family friend were critically injured. The shooter, who frequently attended family games at the rink, fired as many as 11 shots in a rapid burst lasting less than a minute, sending players and spectators scrambling for cover.

Video evidence captured Dorgan arriving, briefly exiting and returning before the attack, with no visible confrontation beforehand; a livestream showed fans diving to the floor and fleeing exits, some students abandoning skates and gear. Eyewitnesses initially mistook the pops for balloons on senior day, but quickly recognized gunfire, with one from the scorers' box shouting to get down. Dorgan moved from the top bleachers to the second or third row to target victims, prompting mass exodus from the arena.

Three bystanders subdued Dorgan, preventing further shots despite a reach for a second firearm; Dorgan then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves praised the interveners for ending the tragedy swiftly, noting the victims' familial ties at a press conference on Feb. 17. North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi confirmed the shooter killed his own son and ex-wife. The incident, Rhode Island's deadliest mass shooting at a youth sporting event, left lasting trauma in the close-knit hockey community.