A suspect who allegedly shot and killed two people inside a Rhode Island ice rink before taking his own life had a documented history of family conflict tied to gender identity, according to court records cited by a local news outlet.
Police identified the gunman as Robert Dorgan, 56, who also went by “Roberta.” Authorities say Dorgan opened fire Monday inside the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket during a high school hockey game between Coventry and Blackstone Valley Schools.
Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves said at a press conference the shooting appeared to stem from a “family dispute.”
Two people were killed and Dorgan died from what authorities described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Three others were injured and remain hospitalized.
A federal law enforcement source told Fox News the gunman killed his wife and shot three of his children before turning the gun on himself in what the source described as a domestic violence incident.
🚨🇺🇸 ALERTE INFO : Robert Dorgan, père de famille transgenre, a ouvert le feu lundi lors d’un match de hockey à Pawtucket (Rhode Island). Bilan : 2 morts et 3 blessés, tous membres de sa propre famille. Le suspect s’est ensuite suicidé. (A) pic.twitter.com/5iU1ga5zmH
— Trump Fact News 🇺🇸 (@Trump_Fact_News) February 17, 2026
According to WPRI, court records show Dorgan had been involved in multiple disputes with relatives in recent years, including tensions that escalated after undergoing gender reassignment surgery.
In 2020, Dorgan reported to North Providence police that he had undergone gender-reassignment surgery and claimed his father-in-law wanted him removed from the family home because of it. Police identified him by his birth name, Robert Dorgan, and noted he also went by “Roberta.”
Court documents cited by WPRI state that Dorgan alleged his father-in-law used a derogatory term for transgender individuals and threatened retaliation if he did not move out. The father-in-law was charged at the time, but prosecutors later dismissed the case.
Divorce filings from 2020 show Dorgan’s then-wife initially cited “gender reassignment surgery, narcissistic + personality disorder traits” as grounds for divorce before the complaint was amended to “irreconcilable differences.” The divorce was finalized in 2021. Records list Dorgan as living in Jacksonville, Florida, and working as a truck driver at the time.
RELATED: Man Shoots His Own Family During Hockey Game In Rhode Island
Additional court filings show Dorgan accused his mother in 2020 of assaulting him and acting in a “violent, threatening or tumultuous manner,” according to police records referenced by WPRI. His mother was charged with simple assault and battery and disorderly conduct, but that case was also later dismissed.
In connection with that dispute, Dorgan told police his father-in-law “told me that if I did not drop the assault charges against my mother that further retaliation could be expected and that was another reason to have me killed.
Police have not publicly linked those past disputes to Monday’s violence and have not announced a confirmed motive.
Goncalves said detectives are still working to establish a timeline and piece together exactly what led to the deadly shooting inside the packed arena.
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