Spectator Helps Stop Deadly Hockey Arena Shooting in Rhode Island

A gunman opened fire during a youth hockey game at a Rhode Island ice rink Monday, killing two adults and wounding three others before dying from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. Police say a spectator intervened to help bring the attack to a quick end.

A gunman opened fire during a youth hockey game at a Rhode Island ice arena Monday afternoon, fatally shooting two adults and wounding three others before a spectator intervened to help stop the violence, according to police.

The deadly incident occurred at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, located just outside Providence. By Monday evening, investigators had interviewed nearly 100 witnesses as they work to understand what led to the shooting.

Police Chief Tina Goncalves announced Monday that the gunman died from what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though the investigation continues.

Goncalves praised an unidentified spectator who stepped in during the attack, saying the “good Samaritan” helped bring the violence “to a swift end.” The chief did not elaborate on how the individual intervened.

The motive behind the shooting remains unclear, as does whether specific individuals were targeted. Unconfirmed social media footage appears to show the moment gunshots rang out, with players scrambling for safety on the ice while spectators and those on team benches sought cover.

“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” Goncalves stated. Officials confirmed both fatalities were adults but have not yet identified the victims.

The shooter was identified as Robert Dorgan, who also used the name Roberta Esposito and was born in 1969, according to Goncalves.

This tragedy follows another devastating shooting that shook Rhode Island nearly two months ago at Brown University, where two students were killed and nine others injured, along with a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor. In that case, authorities later discovered 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente dead from a self-inflicted gunshot at a New Hampshire storage unit.

Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee expressed his grief in a public statement, saying “Our state is grieving again.” He added, “As governor, a parent, and a former coach, my heart breaks for the victims, families, students, and everyone impacted by the devastating shooting at Lynch Arena in Pawtucket.”